


The Heart's a Fragile Victim

by ThatDamnCajun



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Curse, Baseball Coach Swan, Brief StableQueen, Divorced OutlawQueen, F/F, Mayor Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Swen - Freeform, slowburn, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2018-09-30 13:44:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 52,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10164257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnCajun/pseuds/ThatDamnCajun
Summary: At 36, Regina never imagined her life would be where it is. First a widower, now a divorcee, and a mom struggling to handle her teenage son's lashing out, what can she do? Could her son's baseball coach, 28 year old Emma Swan, be just the thing she needs to tie up her loose ends and get things back on track?





	1. It Started With a Divorce

At age 36, Regina had never imagined that this was where she would be in her life. Looking back, she never would have imagines the road in which her life had taken. When she was 15, she hadn't expected to fall in love with the dusty haired boy who went by the name of Daniel, but she had and not once did she regret it. They had married the summer after high school graduation, both just barely past the legal age of 18 needed for their secret elopement. Daniel had gone straight to work, choosing to be outside and to work with his hands rather than sit in a classroom for longer than necessary. Regina, on the other hand, had chosen the path of education and went on to study law with the hopes of becoming a mayor someday. She had taken on a job as a waitress, working nights and weekends at the local diner in the small town her and Daniel had moved to just after they had eloped. "A fresh start," Daniel had told her as they drove past the Welcome to Storybrooke sign. "A new place with new people who don't know the past us."

Things had been rough in the beginning for the newly married couple. Daniel worked laborious hours at the stables, helping with training the horses, as well as taking on a second job as being a handy man. Regina would work late into the night, staying past the end of her shifts to help with the kitchen clean up. She would also pick up double shifts on weekends and on her breaks from school. Every little bit helped the struggling couple keep their heads above water. They had tried to keep their expenses to a minimum, cutting unnecessary things like cable or going out with friends to save a few dollars here and there. It was tough, but they were able to manage.

At 19, they had gotten the shock of their lives.

[SQ]

_She hadn't been feeling well for days. The all too familiar feeling of nausea that had plagued the brunette for the past week pressed against the back of her throat. Her mouth began to salivate as she walked into the diner to begin her evening shift. After depositing her book bag under the counter with the intent of doing some homework later on her break, she reached for her apron and gagged. Covering her mouth and dropping the apron, she chose to make a quick dash to the bathroom instead._

_Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the porcelain bowl tightly. She didn't have time to think about how unsanitary her actions were as she violently emptied her lunch. Her stomach tightened and clenched with each wave that hit her. Between her nearly constant retching and groans to the gods to make it stop, Regina didn't hear the bathroom door open. Nor did she hear the stall door being pushed open to check on her. She only registered the presence of the new person once she leaned her head against the wall with closed eyes and felt a cool damp paper towel passing over her lips._

_Her eyes flew open to see Kathryn, fellow coworker and newfound friend, giving her a small half smile as she cleaned Regina's face and flushed the evidence of her sudden bathroom rush. Regina tried to return a smile to the blonde woman, but it came out looking more like a wince._

_"_ _Thanks, Kat," she said weakly. Her hands shook as she reached out to rip some toiled paper from the roll to wipe at her mouth._

 _"_ _How long have you been feeling rough?" Kathryn lowered herself to her knees on the floor next to Regina, secretly thankful the woman had chosen the largest stall to get sick in._

 _"_ _A few days. I thought it was a bug, but it hasn't passed. This is the first time I ever get sick."_

_As if to punctuate her statement with a truthful action, Regina quickly leaned forward for round two. Kathryn rubbed her back in a soothing manner and held her hair back from her face. Regina gave a small shake of her head before her stomach clenched again. With nothing left to come up, only the yellowish tinged bile from her stomach spilled into the toilet. She accepted the wad of toilet paper being offered and cleaned her mouth before flushing and leaning against the wall again._

_"_ _Usually I just feel like I'm going to throw up, but I never do," she continued explaining. Kathryn reached out to touch her forehead with the back of her hand._

 _"_ _You aren't warm, so you don't have a fever. You said you've felt like this for a few days. Is Daniel sick at home?"_

 _"_ _No," she said as she shook her head. "Daniel is fine. In fact, he is better than fine. This morning he was up at five with a burst of energy like I've never seen."_

_Kathryn chuckled as she imagined the carefree guy jumping from the bed at such an early hour. "If he has that much energy in the morning, maybe you aren't doing enough of your wifely duties at night," she teased, gently nudging Regina, who nudged her back with a slight blush._

_"_ _He wants it all the time," she admitted with a small laugh. "Like I said, I really don't know where all this energy is coming from."_

_Kathryn raised a brow as an idea popped into her head. "You think this feeling bad and throwing up has anything to do with Daniel always wanting to play between the sheets?"_

_Regina snorted at her speculation. "I highly doubt that, Kat."_

_"_ _Does he wear protection?"_

 _"_ _Of course not. We're married."_

 _"_ _Are you on birth control?"_

 _"_ _No. It's too expensive."_

_Kathryn gestured with her hands as if to say 'well then.' "Then I think it's a very plausible possibility. You should take a test. I have one in my purse."_

_"_ _Why do you have a pregnancy test in your purse?"_

 _"_ _We are focusing on you right now, not me." Kathryn stood and grabbed her purse that she had left by the door when she had entered the bathroom behind Regina. She dug around the contents, searching for the little plastic stick that she had to spare as Regina rinsed her mouth out. As she offered a stick of gum to the brunette, a loud knock sounded from the door._

 _"_ _We could use some waitresses out here!" one of the other workers, Ruby, called._

 _"_ _You can give it to me later," Regina said as she gave herself a once over in the mirror. She reached back, attempting to fix the loose pieces of hair that had fallen from her French braid. "Though I really think it's just a waste."_

_Kathryn gently swatted her hands away and quickly rebraided her friend's hair, dropping the fixed braid down the young woman's back. "Better safe than sorry."_

_It wasn't until the end of the shift that Kathryn had enough time to thoroughly look through her purse and pass off the inquired about item to the slightly nervous Regina. She moved to the diner's bathroom, reading the instructions before following them. Quickly placing the cap back on the test, she dropped it into her bag and began the short walk home. It would be ready by the time she made it back to the small loft._

_Her mind was bombarded with thousands of thoughts and yet felt surprisingly blank as she put thought into the test's possible results. Yes, there was a possibility that she could be pregnant, seeing as how her and Daniel did have a healthy sex life. It wouldn't surprise her if he was waiting up for her with the intention of getting her naked and in bed in the first ten minutes of her being in the house. Though they weren't trying, they weren't exactly preventing either._

_Pinching her nose before running her hand over her face, she sighed. A baby was a big responsibility. A big financial responsibility and they were barely making ends meet as it was. But she was sure they would be able to manage. It was winter break and she could pick up extra shifts at the diner for the much needed extra cash. Of course, that would be if she were pregnant, which she highly doubted. All that talk that Kathryn had bothered her with had made her nervous._

_Unlocking the door of their loft, she quickly checked the time on her watch. A bit past 11:30. That wasn't too late, yet the darkness that greeted her in the loft wasn't shocking. Daniel had been working hard lately and was surely already in bed. Dropping her bag on the floor next to the door, she turned to lock up, gasping when she felt herself being pushed against the hard door, the wood cool against her cheek as her eyes widened in shock. She shivered slightly as hands gripped her hips firmly and lips trailed up her neck to tickle her ear._

_"_ _Don't move and no one gets hurt," the deep voice husked against her ear. The hands moved from her hips to her hands, bringing them up to stretch her arms above her head, the body pressing her more firmly against the door until she felt a familiar hardness against her backside._

 _"_ _Daniel," she said with a roll of her eyes. Smirking slightly to herself in the darkness of the loft, she rolled her hips back, rubbing against her husband in a teasing manner. It earned her an appreciative hum from the man's throat. "It's late. And there's something I want to talk about with you."_

 _"_ _Can it wait until tomorrow morning?" he nearly whined._

 _"_ _Can this wait until tomorrow morning?" she countered, pressing back against him more forcefully as she turned to face him. He gave her a look before reaching forward and flicking on the light switch._

 _"_ _Alright. What is it you want to talk about?"_

_She bit her lower lip as she glanced down at her bag, the results to her mental debate residing just beyond the small zipper on the cloth pouch. Whatever the results were, it would be final. It there were two lines, then they were expecting. If only one, then things wouldn't change._

_"_ _I took a pregnancy test," she whispered, eyes finally rising from the bag to meet Daniel's. He looked just as shocked as she thought he would look._

_Daniel swallowed thickly. "What, uh….What did it say?" he managed to get out, hand rubbing the back of his neck in awkward nervousness._

_"_ _I took it before I left work. I haven't looked at the results yet." She chewed on her bottom lip as she nudged the bag with her foot shyly. "I just want us to talk about this first before we see what it says."_

 _"_ _What is there to talk about, Regina? Either you are or you aren't." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "If you are, I guess I could always pick up a few extra jobs on the side. But you'll have to drop out of school after the spring semester. Once we get back on our feet, you can go back. But until then –"_

_He was cut off from his rambling by a quick peck to his lips. Regina gave him a reassuring smile as she held the stick between them, fist closed tightly around the little window that would seal their fate with the results._

_"_ _No matter what this says, we'll be able to handle it." She looked up into his eyes, waiting on his confirmation. When he nodded, she turned her hand palm side up between them, fingers uncurling to reveal two perfectly clear lines. "Oh my God," she breathed, test falling to the floor as Daniel lifted her into his arms with a deep kiss. She felt the wall press against her back a second later._

 _"_ _I think this calls for celebration," he suggested, giving her a wide smile._

 _"_ _That's how we got into this in the first place," she said, gently hitting him in the chest before her arms wrapped around his neck and brought him close so the celebrating could begin._

_[SQ]_

_The excitement of being new parents was short lived. Regina was just starting her fourth month of pregnancy when she got the news that Daniel had been in an accident at the stables. A horse had gotten spooked while he was cleaning out its stall and it had bucked, kicking him in the head. If it hadn't been for Kathryn standing right beside her as she had gotten the phone call, the brunette would still be in a heap on the diner floor instead of trying to coax herself away from the edge of hysteria at the hospital as she waited on work from the doctor on Daniel's condition._

_When the doctor finally did show his face, his grim expression told Regina everything she needed to know. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the tears from falling as she turned to Kathryn for support, face pressing against the blonde woman's neck as she felt her world crash down around her. Just under two years of marriage washed away in the blink of an eye. She was vaguely aware of Kathryn trying to calm her down._

_"_ _I know it's hard, love, but the stress isn't good for the baby."_

_Her words only made Regina cling tighter and cry harder. Daniel didn't even had a chance to experience being a dad, something he was so looking forward to._

_"_ _Kat, I can't do this," she sobbed, knees feeling weak. Kathryn led her over to a chair and lowered her gently into it. "This can't be real."_

_[SQ]_

_She didn't remember much of the days that had followed. Everything seemed like such a blur. There were people trying to talk to her, people trying to comfort her, and just so many damn papers to sign. And the same thoughts replayed through her mind. I'm twenty years old. I'm twenty years old and widowed. I'm twenty years old, widowed, and pregnant. Her hand instinctively moved to cover her growing baby bump each time the last thought would pass._

_She was vaguely aware of the person who insisted on talking to her, speaking kind words about Daniel. Her one handed grip on the tea in front of her tightened in anger. 'Not here,' she begged herself. 'Don't get angry in the middle of the diner where everyone can see.' When the person sat on the empty stool next to her and placed what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her arm, she stood suddenly and glared at the person, a man she soon noticed._

_"_ _Don't you think I know what a kind and sweet person he was." He throat tightened as she spoke of Daniel in the past tense. Various sets of eyes turned to look at her. Kathryn poked her head out from the kitchen door, curious as to what was about to happen. Ruby's head poked out above Kathryn's. "I was his wife!" Her voice rose as the anger bubbled up inside, the bitter taste washing over her tongue. "That's why I married him. That's why I chose to spend the rest of my life with him. To start a family with him. Until death do us part."_

_She hadn't noticed when the tears started falling, or when her yells had turned into broken sobs. She didn't remember Kathryn leading her out the back of the diner or gently being pushed to sit on a stack of milk crates that were stacked against the wall in the alley._

_"_ _It's okay, Reggie. Calm down." Kathryn said, squatting in front of her friend and taking her hands in her own. She felt bad for her friend, having to experience so much heart break at such a young age._

_Regina just nodded, taking a hand back from Kathryn's grasp to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "I just wish people would stop with the sympathy and condolences."_

_No sooner had the words left her mouth did someone poke their head out the backdoor. It was a man, face triggering something on her brain, but she couldn't quite place him. His skin was light, hair light chestnut in color. Her gave a warm smile, face sporting a beard that was just past a 5 o'clock shadow. He moved closer to the two women, a steaming cup of tea in his hands, which her offered to Regina. She took it with a slight nod before taking a sip._

_"_ _I'm sorry about John. He can't really pick up on when people don't want to be bothered." His voice was laced with an English accent. It added to his appeal. At Regina's slightly confused look, he extended a hand. "Pardon me. I'm Robin. We've only met once before, down at the stables. I worked with Daniel."_

_Regina reached out and halfheartedly shook his hand, too busy putting her focus into waiting for the sympathy, waiting for the condolence. Waiting for the words that never came. He didn't offer words of the same degree that the others had offered, though he had more of a right than they did since he actually worked with Daniel. But she was glad. So very glad that he didn't offer the words that she didn't want to hear._

_"_ _Well, I better head out. If you ever need anything, like a strong Brit to rearrange your furniture, or whatever, let me know. I can find someone to help you out," he joked, chucking a bit as he walked down to the opening of the alley and turning the corner._

_[SQ]_

_The remaining months of her pregnancy seemed to dwindle down more rapidly the closer it got to her due date. Kathryn and Ruby spent more time with Regina, always keeping an eye on her just to ease their minds. It had been four months since Daniel's unexpected passing and Regina still wasn't back to her usual self, not that they had expected her to be._

_It was their usual dinner and a movie Tuesday night on the unusually warm July evening. Though it was supposed to be a relaxing evening, Regina had a small stack of papers spread out before her on the coffee table, eyes scanning the contents._

_"_ _Reggie." Kathryn whined as she placed her glass down next to the papers. "It's really hard to have a relaxing night with your friends in you don't do the relaxing."_

 _"_ _Well, excuse me, Kat, if I'm trying to see if I can manage to support myself and my child once they get here." She let out a small huff as she examined one paper more closely before Ruby politely plucked it from her grasp. "Ruby!"_

 _"_ _She's right, Regina. Tonight it supposed to be about relaxing. The only thing those papers are good for is adding stress to your life. And we all know that's something you don't need. Besides, you make it sound like you will be raising the baby alone."_

 _"_ _But I don't have –"_

 _"_ _You have us." Kathryn cut her off, lifting her briefly forgotten about drink to her lips for a sip. "You will not be alone in raising that baby."_

_Though the words made her feel better, she still couldn't stop stressing about the future for her and her child. Kathryn was correct, she wouldn't be alone when it came to raising the baby. And that thought calmed her enough to relax with her friends._

_It was later that evening that she went into labor. The girls were bidding their farewells when Regina placed a hand on her belly and gasped at the sharp pain she felt. Her weak protests of it being too early did nothing to stop her friends from hauling her to the hospital, where she was assured that three weeks was not entirely too early to have a baby. Three weeks minus the eleven hours she spent in labor, her two friends staying close by. They two extra woman were shooed from the room when it came time to bring the baby into the world. Regina was alone, scared, and excited all at the same time. With the thought of needing to meet her baby, the only thing that kept her from insanity the past few months, being her only thought, she pressed forward through the pain until loud wails filled the room._

_Her head fell back onto the pillow as she let out a soft sob. Finally, her baby was here. She faintly recalled hearing the doctor announce the gender of the baby as a nurse wiped her forehead with whispered reassuring words that she has done a great job and that her son was healthy._

_A son. Regina looked down at the now whimpering baby placed upon her chest, Daniel's words coming back to her. "If it's a boy, I want to name him after your dad." So she looked down at her little boy with a soft smile, taking in the few dark curls that say atop his tiny head. She used a single finger to smooth them down as she pressed her lips to his forehead, his name falling from her lips in a whisper. "Henry Daniel."_

_[SQ]_

_The first few weeks after Henry's birth had been hard. And those weeks had soon turned into months. At Kathryn and Ruby's insistent words, Regina had gone back to school that fall against her better judgment. But she couldn't argue with her friends, they did have a point. The sooner she finished with school, the sooner she could provide a good life for Henry without having to worry about the little things._

_Though she felt like she was sacrificing too much precious time with Henry in order to attend classes, the small smiles and gurgled that he greeted her with each morning made everything worth it._

_It was when Henry was nearing six months old that Robin had approached Regina at the diner during her evening shift. It had just made a year since Daniel's accident, but the chestnut haired man had been a frequent occurrence in her and Henry's life. He leaned on the counter, right next to the spot that she was wiping down._

_"_ _Mills," he greeted casually._

_Though some people had voiced their opinions against it, Regina had gone back to using her maiden name when Henry had been born, deciding that it should be her son's surname as well. People had said that she was choosing to forget Daniel, but that was not the case. She knew she would have to move on from Daniel eventually. There was no use clinging to the notion of what could've been. So that day she had slipped the ring off her finger and instead wore it on a chain around her neck, closer to her heart, where Daniel would always remain._

_"_ _Locksley," she responded, lifting her gaze from the counter to look up at him. "Can I help you with something or are you just going to loiter around like you usually do?"_

_He chuckled at her words, earning a smirk and a raised eyebrow before a hand was placed on her hip. "I'm sorry. There is something I wanted to ask about. But it's not on the menu. More of a special request."_

_Regina leaned over onto the counter in the same manner that Robin was doing. "I'll see what I can do. So spill. What is it that you want?"_

_Robin fidgeted with his fingers for a second before he met her gaze. "I wanted to know if you would like to go on a date with me?"_

_Regina's lips parted on a soft gasp. That was not what she had been expecting him to say, far from it. She was thinking more along the lines of him asking for avocado on his BLT or if he could substitute one side for another. Maybe even ask if she could put in a good word with Granny that it had been a while since she had last made her chocolate peanut butter pie. But never did she imagine that he would ask her on a date. She stood up, hand reaching to grasp the ring that sat comfortable in the valley between her breasts._

_"_ _Robin, I…." So many thoughts whizzed through her head. Would accepting the date from Robin mean that she was pushing Daniel from her life? It had been over a year, and she had grieved deeply for her lost love. But what would people say if she accepted? There were plenty of nasty names that she could be called. At her struggling expression, Robin reached out to touch her arm._

 _"_ _It doesn't have to be anything big. Maybe I could come over and cook for you. That way you won't have to take Henry out or call a sitter," he offered._

_Regina bit her lower lip in thought. It was a nice gesture, obviously one that he had put a great deal of thought into._

_"_ _You want my son to be on the date, too?" The corner of her mouth lifted into a small teasing smile and Robin released a breath that he didn't even know he was holding._

 _"_ _Well, I figure it's a packaged deal. And if I win him over, which I already have, it'll earn me brownie points with you."_

_Robin sounded cocky, so sure of himself, but Regina realized that he was right. No one would have a chance with her if they didn't automatically accept Henry as well. And the young boy adored Robin, always breaking out in a gummy smile whenever the man was around._

_She gave the ring on the chain a firm squeeze. "Tomorrow, six o'clock?" she offered shyly._

_Robin smiled. "Tomorrow, six o'clock. I'll be sure to have something even the youngster will enjoy." The light slap to his shoulder from the wet towel made him laugh, stepping back to avoid another hit. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_[SQ]_

_That date was the first of many that lead into the steady relationship that had soon blossomed. At first, Regina had been hesitant, voicing her concerned that she felt like dating Robin meant that she was forgetting Daniel. Robin had taken her hands into his own and had told her that he would never try to replace Daniel, that he would never be able to. He explained that Daniel had gotten to fall in love with the carefree girl Regina used to be, while he would get the chance to experience the headstrong woman that she was becoming. Then he had taken her into his arms and told her that he was starting to care deeply for her, that it wasn't love, but it could develop into that if things continued on. He said that he loved Henry, and could almost think of him as a son, which caused Regina to tear up._

_Because when she thought about it, everything Robin was saying made sense. Here was a man that not only accepted her son, but also accepted her past and baggage. That wasn't something that she could pass up. So she had just nodded, snuggling closer into his embrace._

_As Henry grew, he took to thinking of Robin as a father figure. He knew that Robin wasn't his real father. Regina had made sure that he knew about Daniel and how much he was loved by his real father. Henry had nodded his understanding, as much as his little three year old mind would allow him to understand, before he pointed to a picture of Regina and Daniel on the end table._

_"_ _That's my dad," he said. Robin leaned against the doorway with a smile. When Henry saw him, he ran over and hugged the man's leg. "But this is my daddy."_

_Robin lifted the young boy into his arms. "I told you, champ. I can only be your daddy if your mom says yes."_

_"_ _Say yes, mommy." Henry said, squirming in Robin's arms from excitement._

 _"_ _Say yes to what?" Regina asked, eyeing both of them suspiciously._

_Robin just grinned, lowering himself to his knee in front of Regina, setting Henry to sit on his propped up knee. Henry eagerly reached his tiny hand into the front pocket of Robin's shirt and pulled out a ring. Regina gasped, looking from Henry to the ring to Robin, and back to the ring._

_"_ _Say yes, mommy," Henry said again._

_Robin chuckled softly. "Yeah, say yes, mommy," he echoed._

_Regina smiled as she nodded, reaching out to cup Robin's face and bring him close for a kiss. Henry made gagging sounds, making Regina pull back with a laugh before she pulled her son into her lap._

_"_ _Why don't you help me put the ring on?" she offered, wiggling the right finger for Henry to put it on._

 _"_ _Does this mean that he's my daddy now?" he asked, looking between the two adults._

_They both nodded, each giving him a kiss on the cheek at the same time. And so at 23, Regina had gotten engaged and at 24 she had married for the second time._

_[SQ]_

_At age 27, she had graduated with her law degree, slowly ticking the boxes on her list of goals. Now all she has to do was run for mayor the next time an election rolled around and she would be all set._

_She made her way through the crowd of people, graduation gown unzipped to expose the red dress she wore underneath. Henry waved at her from his spot in Robin's arms. She grinned, lifting her newly acquired degree in the air to signal that she had seen them. When she finally did make it over to her two favorite people, she lifted the cap from her head and place it on her son's, kissing his cheek before turning her attention to Robin._

_"_ _I did it," she said, face breaking out in a wide smile. Nine years of hard work, late nights, and all the hardships that had crossed her path, but she had finally done it._

 _"_ _I'm proud of you, mommy." Henry's words were sweet and touched her heart, though his focus was solely on playing with the tassel on the cap._

 _"_ _I'm proud of you, too, love. We should do somewhere to celebrate. Some place with orange juice for Henry and champagne for us," Robin offered. He shifted Henry from one arm to the other as he waited._

_Regina shook her head, her hand instantly traveling to rest against her still flat stomach. "I can't have champagne. I'm pregnant." If possible, her smile grew even wider. "We're having a baby."_

_"_ _I…. That's wonderful." Robin's eyes glistened with unshed tears of joy. He drew Regina close with his free arm, pressing his lips to the side of her head. "There is nothing that could make me a happier man."_

_[SQ]_

_Eight months later they welcomed little Roland into the family. Whereas Henry has been born with a small handful of brown curls, Roland had a mop of thick curls. It surprised her exactly how much both of her boys looked like their respective fathers._

_Once Roland had gotten old enough to become fascinated in grabbing things, Regina had traded in her usual hairstyle of long locks for a more mature style, one that went with her new position as mayor of the small town. It had been a rough election season, and there were points when Regina wasn't exactly sure she would win. Other times she was worried about how she would manage the new job with a toddler and a young adolescent. Yet somehow her and Robin had managed._

_Besides the usual drama that came with two children and both parents working, things were smooth sailing. Everything was perfect. A happy marriage with two perfect children. What more could she want?_

_[SQ]_

_It was what had happened when she was 33 that caused her marriage to begin to crumble. She knew it. And when it came down to it, she knew it was all her fault. After it had happened, she had retreated into herself, shutting out those who cared about her. In her moment of weakness, she had sealed herself, her expressions turning harder and her demeanor turning colder. Things had gone downhill from here_

_[SQ]_

Now she was 36, and she had never imagined that this was where she would be in her life. Sitting across the long table from Robin, watching him squirm in his uneasiness. Kathryn, friend and now lawyer, stood just off to the side of Regina, flipping through pages in a folder.

"Let me explain this in terms that you'll understand," Kathryn said, eyes lifting from the papers to stare at Robin. "She's divorcing you because you cheated and got another woman pregnant."

Regina shifted in her chair, sitting up straighter as she let out a small huff. She felt uncomfortable, though she wouldn't give Robin the satisfaction of knowing that. However, she did enjoy watching him squirm.

"My client has requested that we settle everything today and out of court. As her representing lawyer, it is my duty to ensure that she receives proper retribution for having to deal with your pathetic ass."

Regina did smirk at Kathryn's words. Maybe it was a bit unprofessional, but it was true. At least Robin had the decency to look guilty.

"She gets the house, any wealth acquired during her time as mayor, and full custody of Henry and Roland. You can have them on weekend and every other holiday," Kathryn continued.

"Regina, don't be like this," Robin said suddenly, staring at her. "That's not fair."

Regina lifted a challenging eyebrow at him. "It's not fair?" she asked. "Was it fair for you to cheat on me? Was it fair that you impregnated another woman?" She folded her arms across her chest as she waited for his reply.

"God, Regina. This isn't you. You haven't been the same since –"

Regina slammed her hands down on the table, effectively cutting Robin off as the sounds of her palms slapping the hard wood reverberated throughout the room. "Don't you dare! Robin Locksley, you do not get to talk about that." She stood, pushing the chair back as she did. Needing to get away, she grabbed her purse and turned to Kathryn. "I trust you can get the rest done without me? I need some fresh air."

Kathryn nodded, turning a predatory smile towards Robin. "Oh, I think we'll manage just fine."

Regina turned and left the room, her heels striking sharply against the sidewalk as she took deep calming breaths. No, at 36 she had never imagine that she would be getting divorced. Yet here she was.


	2. Henry Egged It On

At age 28, Emma had been a lot more things in life than she ever imagined she would be. Some of them she regretted. Most of them she did not. But it was still a longer list than what she felt it should have been.

At 17, she had been the first female to be signed to a college softball program while still being just a junior in high school. At 20, just halfway through college, she had been scouted and signed with a professional softball team, making her the youngest rookie ever. That was where she had made a name for herself. Emma 'The Savior' Swan. Things had been great. Life had been good. The pay had been fantastic. Her fans loved her. And she had a beautiful woman who supported her though all the games, through ever win and every loss. Life couldn't be better. But it could definitely be worse.

It was at age 23 that things began to fall apart for the young blonde. A serious softball injury had put her on the bench for good. With no future remaining for her in the professional scene, her lady had left her for someone who was still in the spotlight. With no woman and no softball, everything seemed dim for the blonde. The alcohol bottle had quickly become her closest friend as she went through surgery to repair her injury and begin physical rehabilitation.

At 24, a hard slap to the face by reality had set her straight. She went back to school to finish her degree and at 26 she had graduated with a degree in education, wanting to help children realize their potential with the underlying hope of landing a coaching position. Just because she couldn't play pro ball anymore didn't mean that she couldn't still throw a few pitches and hit a few homeruns every now and then.

And that's why at 28, Emma had been a lot of things. Youngest rookie, professional softball player, 'The Savior', retired pro ball player, alcoholic, college graduate, and now baseball coach at Storybrooke High. Sure, it wasn't softball, and yes, people had complained at first about a female coach for a boys' sports team. But once they saw the connection Emma had with the team, they wouldn't deny that there was any one better for the position.

It was Emma's second baseball season at Storybrooke High. Last season she had been a bit skeptical when a freshman had tried out to be the pitcher. But once Henry Mills had taken the mound and thrown a handful of fastballs, Emma had quickly changed her mind. The boy definitely had talent. After the season had ended, Emma truly believed that Henry had what it took to make it big. Once she had expressed her thoughts on it, Henry had worked harder at doing his best.

This season, however, something was different. The lanky 16 year old had a grumpy expression permanently residing on his face for the past couple of weeks and his performance on the field, as well as in his classes, was lacking. When teammates suddenly began hitting home runs off of Henry's usually untouched fastballs, Emma knew she had to get to the bottom of it. She blew her whistle to get everyone's attention.

"Great job today, guys. Go hit the showers. Same time tomorrow." The boys rushed off the field to head back to the locker room, except Henry who seemed to be in no hurry. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Henry shrugged as he pulled off his glove and tucked it under his arm. "I don't know what there is to talk about."

Emma rubbed the back of her neck, not really wanting to say the words she needed to say. "Your performance on the field has been lacking lately. If you don't get it together, I'm going to bench you for the season opener."

"What?!" Henry's eyes widened before he glared at his coach. "That's not fair! I'm the best damn pitcher you have!"

"Language," Emma reprimanded. But really, she couldn't blame him. And he was correct. None of the other boys could pitch half as well as he could. "I don't want to bench you. But something has to give."

"Yeah. Whatever."

Henry stormed off towards the locker room, leaving Emma standing in the middle of the field. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. Well, if Henry wouldn't talk, then she would just have to take the next step and contact his parents.

[SQ]

Regina checked the time on her watch as she walked down the halls of the high school. She was on time. Robin, however, was late. Extremely late. She had called him and told him about the meeting with Coach Swan and he didn't even have the courtesy to let her know that he was going to be late. Well, screw him. She could handle this by herself.

She stopped outside a wooden door that held a small nameplate that read, "E. Swan," and knocked firmly three times. She could hear rustling sounds from the other side before she was greeted by deep green eyes and a mess of blonde hair.

"Mrs. Locksley, right on time. Come on in." Emma stepped aside and gestured for Regina to have a seat in front of the desk.

Regina gave her a tight lipped smile as she entered the office. "It's Ms. Mills now," she said, taking a seat and setting her purse on the floor beside the chair. Emma shut the door softly before returning to her seat.

"Mills, huh? Well that certainly explains a lot more about why I called." She lifted a water bottle to her lips and drank heavily before setting it back down. "Is, uh, Mr. Locksley joining us?"

Regina took a calming breath. "Apparently not." She looked half frustrated and half annoyed. "You said in the phone call that you were concerned about Henry?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. He seems to be out of sorts lately. But now I'm assuming it may have something to do with the divorce." She noticed Regina shift in the chair. "I don't mean to pry, Ms. Mills, I really don't. But I do care about the well-being of everyone on my team. I'd like to help in any way that I can."

Regina eyed the woman sitting on the other side of the desk, studying her facial expression. Instead of judgmental or nosy, Regina saw general concern. She took a breath before speaking again.

"Henry is not happy about the reasons behind the divorce," she finally said.

"Fell out of love?"

"Got another woman pregnant."

Emma's eyes widened in shock and her lips parted. "Oh. Wow."

"My thoughts exactly. Henry became an entirely different person when he found out." Regina paused to look at Emma. "Has he been acting out? Is he in trouble?"

"What? No. Henry isn't in trouble," Emma said, holding up her hands to halt Regina in her thought process. "It's just that his performance on the field isn't where it usually is. And his grades are starting to slip."

"What?!"

Emma held up her hands again. "They aren't bad. But it isn't straight A's like he usually has."

"That's impossible," Regina said, shaking her head. "I would've gotten notes informing me of his declining grades."

"Ever think that maybe Henry threw them away before you could see them?"

The brunette haired woman opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed it with a sigh. "Henry Daniel," she groaned. "I'll talk with him, Miss Swan. He was raised better than this, I assure you."

"I believe you. This isn't the same boy that was out on the field last year. I threatened to bench him for the first game if he doesn't catch his head."

Regina raised a brow, impressed. "I do believe that we can solve this problem fairly easily if we work together."

Emma extended her right hand, to which Regina grasped it and they shook on it. "See you at the first game next week, Ms. Mills?"

"As always, Miss Swan."

"Please, call me Emma."

[SQ]

When Regina returned home after the meeting with Henry's coach, she was only half surprised to see the cars of her two closest friends sitting out in front of her house. She walked in the front door and headed straight to the kitchen, knowing she would find Kathryn and Ruby in there. Sure enough, there was a bottle of red wine set out for her and a fresh pitcher of margaritas made for the other two women.

"It's about time you come home. We've been waiting for you for forever. Kathryn wanted to start drinking without you."

"Ruby! How dare you try throwing me under the bus," Kathryn said, focusing more on pouring herself a glass of the tequila based drink than fussing at Ruby. "Besides, we both know why Regina took so long. She was too busy making kissy faces with Henry's baseball coach." She looked up to smirk at Regina, who only rolled her eyes as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"Really, Kat? You're going to go there? She's a woman." Regina lifted the glass to her lips and took a healthy gulp.

"So?" Kathryn said, glancing over at Ruby before the two women smiled into their drinks. "Emma Swan is nice to look at. Ruby agrees. With those green eyes and muscled arms. Ow!" She rubbed her arm, shooting Ruby a glare.

"Yes. But just because you two are into women, that doesn't mean that I am."

"We aren't into women," Ruby corrected. "We are into each other." She punctuated her sentence with a quick peck to Kathryn's lips. "And you don't have to be into women to appreciate their bodies."

Regina rolled her eyes as she lifted the glass of wine to her lips once more. If she really put some thought into it, she couldn't deny Ruby's words. Henry's coach was a good looking woman. However, that did not mean that she was attracted to the woman. Kathryn's voice brought her back to reality from her thoughts.

"Slow down, woman! At this rate you'll be plastered by the time the boys come home."

Regina blinked as she stared down into the now empty wine glass, letting out a sigh as she set it down on the counter and looked at the two women in front of her. They had been there for her since she had first arrived in the small town all those years ago, newly married and fresh out of high school. They had helped her manage with Henry so soon after Daniel's death. They had been the ones to comfort her when…when Robin hadn't been able to. And now they were there to help her through her divorce and the side effects that came with it.

"Henry's grades are starting to drop and his coach has threatened to bench him for the first game if he doesn't right himself quickly," Regina finally said. She lifted the bottle of wine and refilled her glass, taking a small sip before continuing. "It sounds harsh, but I believe it to be fair. But his grades…." She shook her head as she reached up to rub the back of her neck.

"That's a pretty serious punishment. None of the other boys are nearly as good at pitching as Henry. We could win the playoffs this year," Ruby said, reaching out to place a hand on Regina's shoulder. "You know it's just the stress from the divorce. Once things settle down, he'll go back to regular old Henry."

Regina shook her head and moved away from the brunette haired woman. "Things will never settle down," she said, voice nearly cracking as emotion filled her. "If it was just a simple divorce because we no longer loved each other, then I would agree with you. But he cheated with a younger woman and now she's pregnant. Henry feels such hatred towards Robin because of it."

"And how do you feel?" Kathryn asked. "I'm asking as your friend, not your lawyer."

Regina shook her head once more. "It's my fault. If I hadn't pulled away, he never would have sought the companionship of another woman." Leaving the glass to sit on the counter, she moved to wrap her arms around her stomach. "It's all my fault," she whispered.

Kathryn moved close to her. "It wasn't your fault. Come on. Let's get you into a hot bath and then into bed. Ruby can handle the boys when Robin drops them off."

Regina nodded mutely and allowed herself to be lead upstairs and into the bathroom where Kathryn helped her. She opted for a shower instead of a bath, leaving Kathryn to wait patiently until she finished. She didn't mention how it took Regina nearly twice as long as it should have to shower, or how the brunette woman's eyes were red and slightly swollen from her silent break down under the spray of the hot water. Instead, she helped her friend dress before putting her to bed. In her exhausted state, Regina fell asleep almost instantly.

[SQ]

_Regina let out a soft, "Oof," as her front was pressed against the wall, the only exception being the two hands that cupped her breasts. The wall was cool against her cheek, a sharp contrast to the hot mouth that was trailing kisses from her shoulder to her neck. Then she felt the teasing nibble and shivered. There was only one person who nibbled on her neck like that._

_"_ _Daniel?" she breathed, trying to push herself away from the wall. The hands gave a firm squeeze before thumbs brushed over taunt nipples._

_"_ _Yeah, babe?"_

_Regina felt the breath tickle her earlobe as he spoke. He kicked her feet apart slightly before his hands slid down from her breasts to grip her hips, pulling them away from the wall a bit. Her cheek slid down the wall, hands coming to press against it as she bent over._

_"_ _What are you doing?" Her voice sounded barely over a whisper as she felt her blood pound in her ears. Her breaths quickened in excitement and she gasped softly as she felt him brush against her teasingly before pressing forward, filling her slowly. The low groan against her ear made her bite her lip and close her eyes._

_"_ _I'm pleasuring my wife," Daniel finally responded, squeezing her hips gently before getting a firmer grip on them. Regina rolled her eyes at him taking too long and thrust back against him, rolling her hips so he would get the idea. "Damn, you're so hot when you want to take control."_

_She saw his hand plant itself against the wall next to hers before he pulled back and pressed into her again, settling into a fast paced rhythm quickly, sighs and soft moans assuring him that he was doing something right. She bit her lip, nails scratching down the wall as she felt her muscles starting to clench. God, she was so close. Then he pulled away, leaving her to groan in frustration._

_"_ _What the hell?" she snapped, pushing away from the wall and turning to face her high school sweetheart. Instead of looking into the baby blue eyes of her first love, she was staring into the dark hazel eyes on her ex-husband. "Robin?"_

_The living room around them melted away and Regina found herself instead in the bedroom, the softness of the bed surrounding her. She felt the unfortunately familiar weight of Robin pressing between her legs. She tensed as his hands roamed her body. His lies, sweetly coated fairytales that they were, did not help to soothe her. Empty promises, that's all they were now._

_"_ _Robin, I don't…."_

_"_ _Shhh." He placed a finger against her lips. "It's alright love. Just let me please you."_

_Regina sighed, closing her eyes and willing her body to relax. Her mind wandered to how love making used to be between them. The spark, the passion, the way he always seemed to know what she needed before she could voice her desires. Back when they both wanted it. Before it had tampered off. Before it had felt like a chore to her. Before she changed. Then it had been almost nonexistent. Except the one time she partially gave in and found herself kneeling on the bedroom floor in a pair of lace underwear before she stormed away with a glare in her eye and a mess to clean up. That had been the last time._

_But it had lost its passion long before them. She found herself going through the motions and making the right sounds when appropriate, stroking his ego. Just as she was doing now. It was all so routine. Three, two, one. There it was. He dropped his face to the crook of her neck, panting against it, just like he always did when he was getting close. At least it would be over soon._

_Yet, the tensing of the body above her never came. She blinked in her confused state. "Robin?" she questioned, running her hand through his hair. It felt longer, thicker. And it was blonde? Robin did not have blonde hair._

_The blonde haired stranger shifted, pressing their lips to Regina's neck. Damn, that felt good. She ran her hands up the exposed back, taking note the way the muscled moved as the person began to kiss around to her chest and she could finally get a look at them._

_"_ _Miss Swan?!" She pushed herself up, rising onto her elbows to give the woman a wide-eyed stare. "What are you doing?"_

_"_ _Nothing you don't want me to do," the younger woman replied, flashing a grin. "Just trust me."_

_Emma bent her head, kissing down Regina's body. Her hands caressed the tan skin softly. She glanced up at the brunette, flashing her another smile before dipping her head and letting her tongue slide through Regina's folds._

_She flopped back against the pillows, hand moving to tangle in Emma's hair. It had been a long time since she had felt those sensations. Emma chuckled against her, the vibrations making her gasp and moan._

_"_ _More. Please, Emma, more." Regina was never one to beg, but she could easily be persuaded to do it more often if it felt like this all the time._

_Emma glanced up, eyes taking in the scene before her of Regina with her head thrown back, eyes closed, and bottom lip caught between her teeth as she whimpered softly. She wrapped her arms around toned tan thighs, holding Regina to her as her tongue swirled around her clit, careful not to touch it until the right moment._

_When Regina let out a small huff and gave her hair a firm tug, Emma knew. She tongued the sensitive nub softly before wrapping her lips around it and giving it a hard suck. Regina's mouth opened as she arched her back. But instead of a pleasurable sound, it was an annoying beeping noise._

[SQ]

Regina opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Beside her, the alarm clock blared, alerting her that it was time to get out of bed. Lifting her head slightly, she looked down the length of her body and groaned at the sight of her hand hidden beneath the fabric of her underwear. Withdrawing her hand, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the other.

This was all Ruby and Kathryn's fault. If they hadn't spoken about the baseball coach and her alluring green eyes and her strapping muscles, she never would've dreamt about her. And she most certainly wouldn't have had _that_ type of dream.

A cold shower. That's what she needed. A bad start to what she was sure to be a very long day.


	3. Game On

Saturday. A beautiful sunny Saturday. A day in which Robin would be picking up the boys and going out to do whatever it is that boys do with their fathers. She, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving the house. Her agenda consisted of one thing and one thing only; relaxing. And it all began and ended with her first cup of coffee.

The boys had been in the living room, watching TV as they waited for Robin to come get them. Regina had made her way to the kitchen, having just poured a cup of the addicting caffeinated drink when she heard the knock at the door. The mug had just touched her lips when she heard the door open, presumably by Henry. The hot beverage had just been sipped into her mouth when she heard the angry bellow from her son.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Regina choked on her coffee, the liquid spilling from her lips and back into the mug.

"We aren't going anywhere with you!"

"Henry Daniel!"

She stormed around the corner from the kitchen, fully intending to reprimand her son for speaking to his father that way. Only, it wasn't Robin that he had been speaking to. It wasn't even a man at all. It was the red wavy hair that Regina noticed first. Then it was the woman's shocked expression. Finally, it was her rounded belly. That's when it all clicked. Zelena.

Mentally taking a breath, then physically taking one as well for good measure, Regina moved through the foyer towards the front door. "Henry, go back in the living room with your brother." The look in her eyes told him that it was not up for discussion, and he went with a few mumbled words. She turned back to the woman, crossing her arms across her chest as she waited for an explanation.

"Robin said that it wouldn't be a problem if I picked up the boys." Her accented voice made Regina want to cringe. This was definitely not how she wanted her day to begin.

"Well, obviously Robin was wrong. It is indeed a problem as it has upset my son. Furthermore, you are not Robin. He should be the one to pick up the boys."

"He's busy so he asked me to come instead."

Regina's brow furrowed before she began to speak. "I'm sorry to inform you, Ms. West, but I will not allow my boys to leave with you. Please inform Robin that if he would like to see the boys that he will need to be the one to pick them up. I will not tolerate this again."

With a firm flick on the wrist, Regina had effectively closed the door in the woman's face. She took a moment to collect herself before turning around to see Henry grinning at her and Roland pouting.

"But I wanted to see Daddy today." Roland's voice sounded so small and wavered as tears filled his eyes.

Regina quickly moved to kneel before her youngest son, taking his hands into her own. Where her features had been cold and hard when speaking to Zelena were now warm and loving.

"You will see him, sweetheart. As soon as she calls him, he will come and get you. I promise."

As if on cue, Henry's cellphone began to ring in his pocket. He dug it out and made a face at the screen before answering. "What do you want?" he spat. Regina shot him a pair of eyes as she heard Robin's muffled voice come through the phone. "You aren't even my real dad!"

Henry pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed the button to end the call with a frustrated huff. Regina's glare turned into a wide eyed stare. Not once had Henry ever pulled that card on Robin. Realization about how rough this divorce was on him finally registered with her.

"Henry…"

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom. I'm going to my room."

The heavy footsteps made their way swiftly up the stairs and down the hallway, ending with a resounding slam of Henry's bedroom door. Regina sighed before turning back to Roland. Then her phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

 _"_ _What the hell, Regina? You won't let me see my boys?"_

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she stood, gently ushering Roland back into the living room to watch cartoons. She headed off to the kitchen, needing her forgotten coffee to help her get through the phone call.

"I never said that you could not see them," she began, making a second attempt to begin the cup of coffee. "But I refuse to let Henry and Roland leave with that woman. These are your visitations, not hers."

 _"_ _I'm a little busy at the moment."_

"Well make yourself unbusy. If you really want to see the boys, then you will make time to see them. Though I do believe that Henry is angry with you right now."

 _"_ _He had no right to talk to her like that. I've told him that he needs to treat her with respect."_

Regina scoffed. "He won't, Robin. The girl is only five years older than him."

 _"_ _He had no right-"_

"He had every right, Robin. She came here, nearly flaunting her pregnancy, and he answered the door. The very reason for this divorce was staring him in the face. You should be happy that all he did was shout those things at her."

She took a gulp of coffee, wincing as it burned her throat on the way down. Though Henry's outburst was a bit over the top and his use of obscene words was highly uncalled for. Regina couldn't find it in her to be angry at her son. The response seemed reasonable given the situation. No, this was definitely not how she envisioned her day when she had planned on relaxing.

[SQ]

By Wednesday, Henry's mood from the weekend hadn't improved. Neither had his performance on the baseball field. Emma Ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. The first game of the season was in two days and Henry was in no better condition to start than he had been the week before.

"Henry!" she called, blowing her whistle to halt the boys in their practice. She made her was to the mound as the teenager wiped sweat from his brow. "We talked about this, Henry. You haven't improved your game. I'm going to have to bench you."

"NO!" he shouted. His cheeks flared pink with embarrassment as the whole team turned to look at him. "No," he continued more quietly. "Please don't bench me."

Emma looked at him. He seemed so conflicted, so torn, so broken. "Tell me what's wrong. Please?"

"It's my parents," he began, shocking Emma that he would give in so easily. "They're divorcing because my dad cheated and the lady got pregnant. Over the weekend she came to get me and my little brother instead of our dad." He clenched and unclenched his hands in frustration. "I'm just so angry that he did that to my mom. Then he sent this lady to our house, like he was rubbing it in my mom's face."

Emma reached out a put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She felt the tension quickly melt away as he slumped his shoulders. "You just need to find a way to channel your anger." When he looked at her confused, she continued explaining. "What makes you more angry; your dad or the other woman?"

Henry toed the dirt with his cleat as he thought about it. "It's a little bit of both. Him for cheating and her for being the one he cheated with."

Emma nodded. That was understandable. "What I want you to do is imagine their faces in the center of Nick's glove. And all you have to do is focus on smashing their faces with the ball."

Henry raised a skeptical brow at his coach. "That sounds weird."

"It works. Trust me. Now focus and pitch the ball."

She stepped away to give Henry space. He took a breath and shook out his arms before staring at the center of the back catcher's glove. His dad's face was what he focused on. How could he cheat on his mom? He said he would always be there for her. He said he loved her. That's not something you do if you love someone. Henry shook his head, face set in a deep scowl as he wound up and pitched the ball. It made a loud snapping sound as it came in contact with the glove. Nick pulled the glove off and tried to shake the pain from his hand.

"Welcome back, Mills," the boy called out to Henry.

Henry turned to face Emma with a wide grin. That had felt amazing. "Thanks, Coach."

[SQ]

By the time Friday had rolled around, Emma was confident that her team would win. The boys had been talking about it nonstop since Monday and had only increased their excitement when Henry began pitching like he usually did. The boys where sifting through their bags in the dugout, stretching limbs and cracking joints before gathering their gear and heading out onto the field to get into position. From her spot on the edge of the field, Emma could see the Mills family sitting in the bleachers. Well, most of them.

Regina was there, sitting with a smile as big as the pair of shades that adorned her face. Instead of the usual business clothes that Emma was accustomed to seeing her in, she was dressed casually in a pair of jeans with one of the school's spirit shirts. Roland sat next to her, the pair of them waving at Henry as he took the mound. Emma watched the teenager wave back before glancing over at her with a thumbs up. She returned the gesture as the umpire called the game to begin. It was time to play ball.

The first two innings passed without fault. Henry struck out the players easily enough and the boys made a few runs when it was their turn to bat. By the time the third inning rolled around, something was up. Henry's untouchable fastballs began to be hit. He kicked at the dirt, shrugging and rolling his shoulders as his teammates shouted at him to get it together. He glanced over at the stands before dropping his head. Emma followed his gaze to see the new additions to the crowd.

Regina and Roland were no longer the only people there to support Henry. Robin had joined them, sitting next to Roland so that the young boy was between both of his parents. Next to Robin sat a pregnant red-headed woman that Emma could only assume was the woman Robin had cheated on Regina with. Her suspicion was confirmed when the woman leaned over and spoke into Robin's ear before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she noticed Regina shift uncomfortably before scooting a bit away from the couple.

"Henry!" Emma shouted. When the boy looked up, she continued. "Remember that we talked about!"

She saw Henry nod his understanding as he clenched his fist and took a deep breath. Then she turned her gaze to Robin and waited until the man caught her eye. When he did, she shook her head in a disapproving manner, jerking her head to motion at Zelena before jerking it to motion at Henry. She didn't wait to see the man's response, instead turning her attention back to the game.

In Henry's distracted state, the other team was able to make a few points against them. As the boys came in from the field to get in line for batting, Henry hurled his glove against the fence, letting out a frustrated shout as he did. A few of the boys passed by and assured him it was okay with pats to his back.

"It's okay, Mills. I would be the same if my dad was doing what yours is," Nick said as he grabbed the batting helmet and handed it to Henry.

"He's not my dad." Henry snatched the helmet and put it on before grabbing his bat and heading out to home plate.

He shook his arms out as he walked to the plate, looking up when he heard his mom shouting encouraging words at him. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he watched her stand and start to chant "Go, Henry, go," with the rest of the crowd.

Henry got into position, lifting the bat over his shoulder. The grin was still in place when the ball was pitched. He swung with all his might and only grinned more when he heard the crack of the ball against the bat, felt the vibration run through his arm, saw the ball fly high into the air and far out over the fence. The crowd, as well as his teammates, erupted in cheers as he dropped the bat and leisurely ran the bases for his home-run.

The home-run put Henry in a better mood for the rest of the game. Emma noticed how he repeatedly looked at the bleachers before turning back with a determined look on his face before he would strike out the next player. Emma chanced a glance over at the bleachers and couldn't help the small smile that settled on her features.

Regina was standing from her spot in the bleachers, fists in the air as she cheered her son on. She looked so carefree and young, coming across as hardly old enough to be Henry's mother. Emma felt her breath catch when Regina turned her smiling face towards her and gave her a wave. Emma faltered for a second before raising her hand to wave back.

[SQ]

The boys celebrated their win in the parking lot of the school, bouncing around in their rambunctious manner. Emma stood off to the side, watching them with clear amusement on her face. She nodded as parents passed by and congratulated the boys on their victory.

"That was a good game, Miss Swan."

Emma's head swung around to see Regina walking towards her, young Roland not far behind.

"It was all the boys, Madame Mayor. I just guide them."

"You guide them well." Regina reached up to move her sunglasses from her face to rest atop her head. "And Henry's performance really picked up after the fourth inning."

"But that's when Dad left," Roland chimed in, looking sad.

Emma looked from Regina's uncomfortable expression down to the pouting boy before she dropped to a knee before him.

"I'm sorry that your dad didn't stay for the whole game," she said softly. Roland toed at the dirt. Yeah, definitely Henry's brother. "You must be feeling pretty sad about it." Roland nodded. "How about you and your mom join me and the team for some pizza? It always makes me feel better when I feel sad."

"Really?" the young boy gasped. His eyes widened and his expression brightened instantly. Then his head shot up to look at Regina. "Can we, Mommy?"

Regina looked down at Roland. He looked so hopeful that she would give a positive answer. Then she turned her gaze to Emma who was still kneeling beside her son. The blonde woman raised both brows at Regina, patiently waiting for her answer.

"I guess that would be alright," she finally said, giving in to both sets of hopeful eyes.

"Awesome," Roland cheered, lunging forward to wrap his arms around Emma. The woman blinked in surprise before she wrapped an arm around him. "Thank you, Miss Swan!"

"You are very welcome. But how about you call me Emma?"

"Okay Miss Emma."

Emma opened her mouth to correct him but stopped when she heard Regina's laugh. She looked up to see the dark haired woman with her eyes closed, lips pulled back into a smile, and a melodious laugh falling from her lips. She stared in awe at the beautiful sound before one of the boys called out to her.

"Well then," she said, rising to her feet once more. "I'll see you two at the pizza place."

Regina nodded before taking Roland by the hand and heading to the car where Henry was already waiting. They all piled in and met up with the rest of the team across town. Henry made his way to sit with the rest of the guys, leaving Regina and Roland to their own table. It wasn't long until Emma arrived, informing the waitress that it would be the usual order for when the boys won a game. She spotted the brunette sitting off to the side and strolled over.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked with a small smile. "I don't want to be in the middle of ten teenage boys fresh from the field."

Regina gestured with her hand as she let out a small laugh. "I don't blame you. We had to ride here with the windows down."

"Yeah, Henry smells like butt!" Roland added.

"Roland!" Regina chastised, looking at her son with a very definite 'mom' look. But Emma couldn't help but laugh at the accurate description.

"I agree with you, Roland. How about we decide what kind of pizza to get? You look like a pepperoni kind of guy." Roland nodded, amazing that she had guessed correctly. Then Emma turned to Regina and studied her with squinted eyes. "And veggies for you."

"Wow, Mommy. She's good," Roland said, clearly impressed.

"Indeed she is. How did you know?" Regina asked, lifting her glass to take a sip of water. Emma shrugged.

"Well, I figured that with Henry being 16, you must be in your 40s. But you look darn good for it. So it's simple deduction. What do 40-something year old woman eat? Veggies, and lots of them."

Regina stared at Emma with disbelief. She opened her mouth to reprimand Emma for assuming she was in her 40s when the waitress came up and took their order. One medium half pepperoni, half veggie pizza. Roland then asked for some quarters to be able to play one of the arcade games. To which Regina dug around in her purse for. Emma placed a hand on her arm to still her movements before digging in her pocket and pulling out two quarters for the young boy. He said his thanks before bouncing off.

"You didn't have to do that." Regina said, putting her purse back down at her side.

"It was two quarters, Madame Mayor."

"And getting our meal?" she questioned with a raised brow.

"I get a discount when the team wins. And the school reimburses me for half. It's not trouble, really." She gave Regina a playfully smug look before sipping her coke. A beer would be better, but she had given up that indulgence long ago.

The two women sat in comfortable silence until Regina broke it. "Thirty-six," she said, her eyes watching her son talk with a teammate before they high-fived. "I was married at eighteen and had Henry at twenty."

Emma let out a low whistle. "You know, if you didn't have any children, I would swear you were my age."

"And how old is that, Miss Swan?"

"I told you to call me Emma," she said. "And I'm twenty-eight."

Regina scoffed before the corner of her lip lifted in a small smirky smile. How could this woman possibly think that she could pass as being that young again. Sure, she looked good for her age. But she had always thought that she could pass as, at best, maybe thirty years old.

But then she studied the blonde sitting next to her. Though she had admitted to being 28, Regina thought she looked wise beyond her years. She certainly didn't look older than what she had claimed to be, but something had definitely happened for her to have this aura about her.

"You seem older than just twenty-eight Miss… Emma." Regina corrected after a pointed look from the blonde.

"Yeah, well…." Emma took a deep breath. "I've been through a lot in the past ten years." At Regina's interested expression, she continued. "I got signed to play pro ball just halfway through college. But I got injured early on and it ended my career. My significant other left me for someone still in the limelight. Then I turned to alcohol for comfort before I caught my head and sobered up before going back to school to get my teaching degree. Now, I'm here."

Regina watched as Emma drummed her fingers against the table top before reaching for her drink and began to chug it, eyes looking everywhere but Regina. Why had she even shared that? It's not like they were close. They were just baseball coach and team player's mother. That's it. When Regina reached out to gently lower the glass from her lips, Emma let her.

"I think it's amazing that you have been through so much and are still standing tall. You must give the boys plenty of advice about life."

Emma shrugged, feeling a bit shy at Regina's words. "I mean, I try," she said, fingering a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. "The boys feel comfy enough to share stuff with me. I try to give them good advice. Like Henry." She glanced up to see Regina's surprised face. "He said he was angry at his dad. So I told him to visualize his face in the catcher's glove and to try to smash it with the ball."

She was expecting to be scolded. She was expecting Regina to be angry with her. She wasn't expecting the woman to laugh. A good laugh that sounded like it radiated from deep within. One that caused her to lift her finger to her eye and wipe away a stray tear. The laughter quieted down into small chuckles before Henry walked up.

"Mom, would it be okay if I went hang out with Nick once we are done here?"

"That's fine, Henry. Remember that your curfew is eleven."

The boy thanked his mother before heading back to be around the other boys.

[SQ]

It was nearing midnight when Emma had finally crawled into bed. She and Regina had parted ways hours before, yet she was still riding on the high from talking with her. It felt nice to have someone to talk to that didn't question her about being a has been. Maybe Regina didn't know about her being a pro ball player?

_Of course she knows, Swan. You told her. Duh._

They had talked about Emma's time in college and how she had met Lily in her first month of schooling. Emma explained how she was head over heels in love with the woman and was excited when Lily had chosen to follow Emma into the professional league and stayed by her side. Then she had told Regina about her injury and how Lily had left her as soon as they had gotten word that Emma would never be able to play professionally again. Then Emma had talked about how liquor became her best friend before saying she was nearly four years sober and that it was the best decision of her life, besides graduating with an education degree and becoming a teacher.

They had also talked about Regina's past. The older woman had told Emma about Daniel and their story, about Henry and meeting Robin, about how her marriage had fallen apart when the woman had called one day asking to speak to Robin. When she had been questioned about why she was calling, she had informed Regina that she had wanted to tell Robin that he was going to be a father. Regina had said that it was the second worst day of her life. When Emma had asked what the first was, she had just shaken her head. Emma had placed a comforting hand over hers before saying that she didn't have to talk about it. Despite the depth of the conversations, it had been nice.

Now, Emma fell face first onto the bed, arms wrapping around the pillow so that she cuddled it. With a satisfied hum, she stretched out, clad in only a tank top and a pair of boy short style underwear. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and relaxed atop the cool sheets. She was just dozing off when her phone began to ring. Reaching for it, she blindly slid her finger across the screen to answer.

"Hello?"

 _"_ _Emma, Henry never came home."_


	4. Missing

Emma pushed herself up in bed, eyes widening and all traces of drowsiness vanishing from her body. Maybe she had misheard the woman in her half asleep state.

"What do you mean Henry never came home?"

She wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder as she moved from the bed. The frantic voice on the other end of the line began again as Emma pulled a pair of pants from her bottom drawer and quickly pulled them on.

"He didn't come home!" Regina nearly yelled. "I did tell him to be back before eleven, correct? I didn't imagine that? It's midnight now. Usually he calls to say he will be late but I didn't receive a call or a text or anything. Emma, what if something happened to him? What if-"

"Whoa," Emma suddenly said, cutting Regina off. "Slow down. It's going to be alright." She moved through her small apartment and pulled on her red leather jacket, deciding to forego a bra in the name of haste. Grabbing her keys, she was out the door. "I'm on my way. Just stay calm."

She heard a broken sob before the line went dead, the call ending. Hopping into the bug, she said a silent thank you that it started on the first try before she quickly shifted it into first gear and rushed off across town to where she knew the mayor's house was.

Regina was already waiting out on the front porch when Emma pulled up. She eyed the brunette as she got out of the car, taking in the sight. Long tanned legs poking out from under a light blue silk robe that was tied firmly around her waist, ending just below her mid-thigh. Emma had to force her eyes up to meet the scared eyes of the woman moving towards her.

"I don't know why I called," Regina began to explain. "If I call Robin, he will just call me an excuse of a mother and try to take the boys away and-"

"It's okay." Emma quickly interrupted, stopping the woman's frantic rambling for second time that night. She reached out and took Regina's hands in her own, trying to comfort the older woman. "You stay here while I go search around town. Henry is a good kid. He can't be too far off."

Emma hesitated for a moment. In that moment, she took in Regina's features. The way her hair was still slicked back and wet from a recent shower. The way her eyebrows were furrowed in concern and how there was a vein becoming more prominent by the second from her distress in the middle of her forehead. The way her eyes appeared to be slightly puffy and red rimmed, most likely from crying. And the way the scar on her lip caught the illuminating glow from the porch light.

_I just want to lick it. Wait, what? Calm your tits, Swan._

Finally, Emma pulled away, their recently clasped hands dropping back down to their sides as the distance between them grew. She got back in her car and headed out towards the center of town, checking the rear view mirror to see Regina still standing in the walk way.

As she came to the stoplight in the middle of town, she was grateful that it turned red, allowing her a few seconds to gather her thoughts and focus on the situation at hand. By the time the light turned green, Emma smiled to herself. She had a good idea about where Henry was hiding.

The old yellow bug puttered to a halt in the school parking lot, facing out towards the still brightly lit baseball field. Emma exited the car and closed the door gently, looking out at the place that she had been just hours before. It all seemed empty. Except for a lone figure sitting in the bleachers. A lone figure with lanky limbs and slightly too long brown locks that Emma had become familiar with over the past year and a half.

The metal of the bleachers was cold from the might air and slightly wet from the dew that was collecting in preparation for the next morning's sunrise. Emma pulled her jacket closer around her, finally deciding to zip it up as she took a seat next to Henry. The young teen continued to stare out into the empty field, not yet acknowledging his coach's presence. Emma was the one to break the silence.

"It's after midnight."

"I know," Henry answered after a pause.

"Your mom is very worried about you."

This time, he sighed. "I know. I just…. I just needed to think."

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emma shifted back in her seat, letting her back recline to rest against the seat behind her. Henry mirrored her actions, his hands sliding into his pockets.

"My dad, Zelena, the baby…. It's got me all confused. I'm mad at my dad. I'm mad at Zelena. I want to be mad at the baby, but I can't, you know? Like, it's an innocent baby that didn't ask to be created." He sighed once more as he continued to stare out at the empty field. "And I really don't like how he keeps bringing Zelena around Mom, especially with her being pregnant and stuff. Mom never says anything, but I can tell it rubs her the wrong way. She's been through so much already. She doesn't deserve this."

Emma was stunned by the thoughts that Henry was expressing. His words proved that he was much more mature than just his physical sixteen years. He had expressed thoughts that Emma had figured was bothering him, but he had followed those words with some that were so thoughtful and selfless that she couldn't help but be proud of the young man that Henry was growing into. She could only imagine how proud Regina would feel.

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought." Henry nodded, agreeing with Emma's statement. "Have you spoken with your parents about any of this?"

"No," the teen shook his head. "I don't want to upset Mom, and Dad would just tell me that this is how things are going to be from now on, so I should just suck it up and get with it." He finished his sentence with a half-hearted shrug.

"I don't think your dad would really say that to you."

"He already has."

Emma turned her head to look at Henry, and he looked back at her. She looked into his eyes and was shocked when she didn't get a gut feeling that he was lying to her. How could a father tell that to his son? Emma was so in shock that she blinked herself back to reality when Henry spoke again.

"I mean, I guess it's sort of my fault. I have told both of them some pretty nasty things over the past few weeks. But I didn't know what else to do."

"How about we start with getting you home, huh?" Emma suggested. "Then you can talk with your mom about all of this." Henry opened his mouth to protest, but Emma held up a hand to halt him. "I know you don't want to upset her, but I'm sure she would be more upset that this is bothering you and you aren't sharing it to get it off your chest. I'm very thankful that you shared this with me. But I think your mom will be able to give you more helpful advice."

Henry nodded his understanding. Emma was right. Thought she was an unbiased person in which he felt comfortable confiding in, he really should talk with his mother about it.

Once they got in the car, Emma sent a text to Regina that she was heading back to the house with said precious cargo in her possession. By the time they had driven up to the house, Emma and Henry were laughing at some joke Henry had made about Emma's car being older than him. As soon as they got out of the car and closed the doors, Regina had flung the front door open and was rushing down the walk way towards her son.

"Henry!" Her arms instantly wrapped around her son, pulling him tight against her. His arms went around her, chucking softly when he realized that she could just barely see over his shoulder. She moved her head so that she would look at Emma, mouthing 'thank you' to the blonde.

Emma was still standing on the driver's side of the bug, arm resting on the roof. She lifted her hand in a wave to acknowledge Regina's thanks. She barely heard the exchange between the two as Henry apologized for his wrong doings and Regina assuring him that it was all alright now that he was home.

It wasn't until mother and son had turned and retreated into the house that Emma climbed back into the bug and began to make her way home. It had been an eventful evening, that much was true. But Emma felt good knowing that she had helped steer Henry in the right direction. And if she were to continue helping him and it meant she would have to spend more time around Regina too, well, Emma was quite alright with that.

[SQ]

_Emma stood on third base, bouncing up and down and shaking her hands to try to relax her body as the pitcher spoke to the back catcher during the time out. She shouldn't be so nervous, not with it being her third year in the big league. But it was always so exciting when she got to third base and was getting ready to run home. A quick glance up into the stands put a smile on her face as a dark haired woman blew her a kiss. Lily. God, she loved that woman._

_Movement in the corner of her eye brought her back. The catcher was squatting back down behind home plate and the next girl was up to bat. AS the pitcher prepared to throw the ball, Emma began to inch away from third base towards home, waiting for the ball to be sent into the air. Instead of the crack, it was a snap._

_"_ _Ball!" the umpire called._

_Emma side-stepped her way back to third base as the ball was thrown back to the pitcher. The woman wound up and let the ball go._

_Crack!_

_She was off, arms pumping and feet pounding the ground. She wasn't aware of the short stop having caught the ball. Nor was she aware of it being thrown to the back catcher until she saw the evil smile on the woman's lips. This was it. She was going to be out. Unless…._

_Emma let her body fall back and drop to the ground, her momentum carrying her feet first to the plate. Closing her eyes as she dropped, she became conscious of four things all at once half a second later. The feel of her feet sliding over home plate, a painful jab against her ribs, the umpire calling her safe, and a searing pain in her right shoulder. Then she became aware of the silence that fell over the crowd as her coach rushed to her side._

_"_ _Swan! Are you okay?"_

_She went to take a breath to answer but winced when she felt the pain in her side. "It hurts to breathe and I can't feel my right arm."_

_"_ _Your shoulder looks like it's dislocated and Parker plowed you in the ribs with her cleat, so a few might be fractured or broken."_

_The pain was getting to be too much for Emma. She was only vaguely aware of a small team of people trying to move her to a stretcher to carry her off the field. In her blackening vision, she saw a worried Lily running up to her just as the darkness closed in._

_[SQ]_

_It was the faint beeping noise that pulled her from her deep slumber. Annoying beeping, she dubbed it. Annoying beeping to go with the annoying stiffness of her right arm. She took a deep breath to prepare herself to move the stiff appendage but cried out as pain shot through her side. Reaching with her left hand, she gathered the hospital gown and slowly lifted it, gradually revealing a deep purple bruise that ran from her wait to just under her armpit. Well, that was one mystery solved._

_Then she noticed the cause for the stiffness in her arm. It was wrapped up in an ace bandage and was resting in a sling across her chest. AS she shifted, she felt the small zings of pain and decided that her best bet would be to sit still. At the sound of the door opening, she looked up._

_"_ _Hey Lils," she said, glad to see her girlfriend. "Um, what happened to me?"_

_Lily moved closer to the bed. "You tried to slide in to home plate and collided with the back catcher. You broke a few ribs and dislocated your shoulder. When you did that, it tore one of your tendons." She paused and took a breath, looking down at the blonde in the bed. "I was just talking with your coach." She reached out a ran a hand through soft blonde locks. "You won't be able to play anymore."_

_The small smile that was steadily spreading across Emma's lips disappeared instantly. "What?"_

_Lily bit her lip as she pulled her hand away from Emma. "You tore the tendon nearly in half and separated it from the bone. You're going to need a lot of physical therapy just to be able to use your arm regularly again. The possibility of you throwing the ball or hitting a home run again is almost nonexistent."_

_"_ _No," Emma whispered, shaking her head in disbelief as tears began to cloud her vision. "Go talk to them again. Softball is all I have going for me. I don't have a degree to fall back on." The tears began to fall as she shook her head, reaching up with her good arm to wipe them away._

 _"_ _Let's just focus on you getting out of here and starting therapy, okay?" Lily sat down in a chair next to the bed. "It's going to be okay."_

_Emma nodded, wiping her face once more before she settled back into her pillows._

_[SQ]_

_It was three days later that Emma was finally released from the hospital. Before she was discharged, the nurse had shown her how to properly clean her incision on her shoulder. The surgery had left behind what would soon become a nasty scar that ran from her shoulder blade, up and over her shoulder, and down to just over her armpit. The scar was still an angry irritated red color but the swelling had gone down, leaving the line just slightly raised. And while it was still uncomfortable for Emma to move around a lot or take deep breaths, the bruise along her ribs had turned from a deep purple to a lighter maroon, some places even turning slightly grey with a yellowish tinge to the edges._

_Emma was glad to be going home. She was tired of being cooped up in the small hospital room with her only reprieve coming in the form of her therapy sessions. Now though, it felt good to be walking down the hallway to the apartment she shared with Lily. All she wanted to do was curl up on the couch and snuggle up close and watch a movie._

_As she unlocked the door, she was shocked to see two bags packed and waiting against the wall. She stared at them for a second before clearing her throat awkwardly and looking at Lily._

_"_ _Lils, what's going on?"_

 _"_ _I didn't want it to be like this, Em." The dark haired woman walked in and grabbed both bags. "But I can't do this." She slipped around Emma and started down the hallway, leaving Emma with the single line of, "I didn't sign up for this," before she stepped into the elevator and disappeared completely._

_Emma still stood in the doorway of the apartment not really believing what had just happened. Did it happen? Or was it just a dream? She moved into the apartment and immediately went to the bedroom, opening the closet door to find it mostly empty. Damn. Did Lily really own that much clothing? Next, she checked the drawers and found them the same way she found the closet; mostly empty._

_As if in a daze, she walked back to the kitchen and set her bag down on the counter, digging through it with her left hand until she pulled out the small bottle of pain pills. Quickly popping the lid off, she put two pills in her mouth and moved to the refrigerator to see what there was to drink. The bottle of whiskey won out._

_She coughed after washing down the medicine with a deep swig of the amber liquid. Clutching the bottle tightly, she made her way to the living room and sat down on the couch. The bottle found its way to her mouth once more and it wasn't long until she had emptied it of its contents. That's when her mind began to wander._

_She had been with Lily since she was 18 years old. They had met during her first semester of college and had been inseparable ever since. They were so in love, or so Emma had thought. What had she even meant when she said that it wasn't what she had signed up for? It's not that Emma was brain dead. She just couldn't use her right arm for a while until the cut healed and she did a few more weeks of therapy._

_In silence she sat, mind working over logical reasons as to why Lily did what she did. Her eyes searched the walls, the pictures of her and Lily throughout the years staring back at her, teasing her, taunting her. She felt her anger bubble up and she clenched the bottle tightly, knuckles turning white. In an instant the bottle was flying across the room and colliding with a picture frame, shattered glass falling to the floor in a small pile._

_Emma stared at the mess she made and took a shaky breath. That's when the tears started. And they didn't stop._

_[SQ]_

_It was the same song and dance for months. Wake up, pain pills, therapy, come home, indulge in alcohol, pass out. Repeat. Emma couldn't remember the last time she was sober. She didn't want to remember because that meant remembering Lily. And it was easier to stay intoxicated than it was to face the reality that Lily wasn't there and that the woman's words were true. Emma wouldn't be playing softball ever again. The depression from both realizations had Emma keeping a bottle of alcohol in her hands almost constantly, the glass containing becoming an extension of herself._

_Empty bottles clinked together as they rolled and touched, Emma's feet shuffling her body into the living room. She sat with a heavy thud and finished the last of her drink, setting the now empty bottle on the coffee table. And she stared at it._

_Her eyes narrowed as the alcohol flowed through her veins, her body riding the fine line between being buzzed and drunk. It was a little more on the buzzed side, but then again it was still early. She raised both brows in a half-assed attempt to open her eyes wider. But even with her eyes narrowed, she could still see the array of empty bottles that littered the floor and coffee table._

_What was she doing? This wasn't that kind of life she wanted. What she did want, however, she could not have. Both fantasies were long gone. Even if she couldn't have them, she still didn't want this._

_Reaching for her phone, she blinked hard, trying to focus on the numbers through the blurriness. Her movements were slow, fingers touching the screen to dial the familiar number. Finally after what felt like ages, she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the ringing. When she heard the click of the phone being answered, she began._

_"_ _August, I don't want to do this anymore. I need help."_


	5. My Fault

"Would you care to explain to us why there is word going around town about Emma Swan's car being here Friday night?" Kathryn asked, getting right to the point with her bluntness.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and the boys were with Robin, so naturally Regina was being bombarded with questions from her two friends. The women all sat on the back patio, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

"Perhaps because her car was here Friday night," Regina said simply. She lifted her glass of mimosa and took a sip, closing her eyes to savor the taste of the orange juice and the feel of the bubbles on her tongue from the champagne.

"And why was she here?" Ruby pressed, now sitting on the edge of her seat as she leaned closer to Regina to hear the latest gossip. "Were you two bumping uglies?"

Regina looked up. "Bumping uglies?" she questioned, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow lifting. "Honestly Kathryn, I don't know what you see in her. She is an overgrown child." The small twinkle in her eyes gave away that she was teasing. "Henry didn't show up after his curfew and I panicked. Calling Robin would have lead to an argument." She finished her explanation with a small shrug.

"And you just so happen to have her number because…."

"Because she called me from her personal cellphone to set up the meeting about Henry." Ruby and Kathryn exchanged looks. "What?"

"Maybe she called you from her personal cellphone on purpose so you would have her number. Maybe she likes you." Kathryn finished her statement in a sing-song like voice.

"Impossible. I'm nearly ten years older than her."

"You are only eight years older than her," Ruby corrected. "It's not _that_ impossible."

Regina leaned back in her seat, holding her drink close to her as she thought. Eight years really wasn't that big of a gap if you really looked at it. It wasn't even uncommon for couples to have age gaps that surpassed the mere eight years that she kept focusing on.

"You don't know that she is into me. You don't even know if she is into women," Regina said, lifting her chin as pride spread through her. It was quickly diminished by Kathryn's laugh.

"Honey, she is obviously into women. Plus, it was in the media when she was playing softball."

"Oh," Regina breathed out in defeat. Then she rolled her eyes. Duh! Emma had told her about the woman who had left her when she had gotten injured. "She did tell me about a past girlfriend at the pizza place after the game."

The other two women shared a look, eyebrows raised, but neither one commented. Regina's brows furrowed as a thought popped into her head.

"Wait a minute! I'm not into women!"

"Are you sure? It took you this long in the conversation before it dawned on you," Ruby said, refilling her glass with the orange juice and champagne mixture. "You've never even been curious?"

"No, Ruby. I've had two husbands." Though it did make her think. What would it be like to be with a woman? How would it feel to have her skin caressed by soft hands instead of those calloused and roughened by hard work?

"Well that doesn't mean anything," Kathryn chimed in with a laugh. "It's okay to think about it and be curious. Besides, you never know where curiosity will get you." She sent a flirty wink towards Ruby.

"With the way you two are talking, it sounds like you want me to be interested in her." Regina pinned each woman with an accusatory glare. Ruby gave her an innocent smile back Kathryn just shrugged nonchalantly.

The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut then being opened again drifted out the back sliding door to the women. The number one sound that the boys were back. And by the sound of the door opened a second time, Regina knew Robin had followed the boys in.

"Regina!" Robin called from somewhere deep in the house. The brunette woman looked at her friends with a small sigh.

"That's my cue. You two should probably head home. I don't want you here if things get ugly."

"Are you sure? We could kick his ass for you," Ruby offered, even as she hugged her friend. Kathryn did the same.

"I'm sure," Regina said with a smile. "I can handle him just fine."

The two women bid their farewell, giving Robin displeased looks as they passed him in the kitchen on their way to the front door. Regina brought the empty pitcher and glasses in, closing the sliding door behind her as she rinsed out the glassware.

"What do you want, Robin?" she asked, back still to him.

"You need to talk to your son."

Regina's head shot up as she turned to face him fully, eyebrows raised as if daring him to repeat his statement. He had been in Henry's life since nearly day one, but now he was choosing to not claim the teen.

"Oh, now he's my son?" she asked, fingers tensing against the counter that she was leaned up against.

"Well, since he keeps insisting that I'm not his real father…." He trailed off with a shrug. "You need to talk some sense into him. He won't listen to me."

"Did you try talking to him and not at him?" she asked. Her brow raised when Robin didn't immediately answer. "He was fine the last couple of days. What did you do to put him in a mood?"

"I didn't do anything!" Robin nearly shouted. "All I did was say how Zelena and I want to get married before the baby arrives and that I would like for Henry and Roland to be in the wedding."

Regina resisted the urge to groan. She wanted to simultaneously strangle the man before her and beat his head against the wall. How daft could he be?

"That's just it, Robin. Henry doesn't like Zelena. He doesn't like the situation, or the divorce, or any of this." She sighed as she looked around her. Had they really finished all of the mimosas? Another glass was severely needed.

"Henry needs to accept that Zelena and the baby are going to be a part of his life now, whether he likes it or not."

Regina felt her whole body tense at his words. It would be so easy to reach out and slap him so hard that he would lose his accent. Instead, she took a calming breath.

"If you want Henry to accept everything, you need to stop forcing it on him. This is too much far too quickly. He needs more time to process."

"We don't have much time, Regina. The baby is going to be here in under four months."

"That's not my fault, now is it?" she asked. When Robin shifted, she felt her heart drop. Robin needed to leave and he needed to leave now. "I'll try talking to him. In the meantime, you need to work on salvaging what little bit of a relationship you have left with Henry. Have a good day, Robin."

With that, she turned her attention back to the sink, fidgeting with the glasses until she heard the front door open and close with a soft click. Immediately, her shoulders fell as she fought the overwhelming urge to breakdown. Though he hadn't openly admitted it, his actions were enough to confirm what Regina had been telling herself for months. It had all been her fault.

[SQ]

_It was a hectic day, as it was usual for a Wednesday. Robin would be staying late at work, so Regina was left with the rushing from the office to collect the boys from their after school activities. Then it was off to the house where she would have to get dinner on the stove and clothes in the wash. Not to mention she would also have to help Roland with his homework while Henry worked on his upstairs._

_As soon as the front door was unlocked, both boys raced upstairs. Regina could hear the heavy footsteps overhead but dismissed them with a small smile and a roll of her eyes. She chose to focus instead on making dinner. Something simple. As she started to pull the ingredients from the refrigerator, the phone rang. She wiped her hands on a small dish towel before answering._

_"_ _Hello?"_

_"_ _Hi. Is Robin there?" came a young female voice._

_"_ _No, he is not. He works late on Wednesdays. May I take a message?"_

_"_ _Oh , um…sure. Yeah. I guess that would be alright." The voice had a nervous edge to it and Regina began to grown concerned. "Could you tell him that I'm pregnant?"_

_Regina froze. There was a burning tingling sensation in her chest and she was shocked that she hadn't dropped the phone. Pregnant. This woman was pregnant and Robin was obviously the father. Why else would the woman be calling to tell him?_

_She cleared her throat before speaking. "Of course I'll tell him for you." Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "What did you say your name was again?"_

_"_ _Oh, I'm sorry. West, Zelena West."_

_"_ _Congratulations Zelena. I'll be sure to let Robin know. I'll have him call you once he gets off of work."_

_"_ _Oh, thank you so much." There was a click before the line went dead._

_Regina set the phone down in its cradle, hands shaking. This was not how her Wednesdays usually went. Far from it._

_She remained in a daze as she went about preparing dinner. Lucky for her, Henry decided to be a good big brother and help Roland with his homework. Regina wasn't so sure she would be able to help her youngest boy with his multiplication facts._

_Soon she found herself sitting in the living room. Only it wasn't really soon. It was hours later. The boys had long since retired to bed and she sat nursing her third glass of wine. Or was it her fourth?_

_Things had been going so well, she thought. Arguments between her and Robin had been nearly nonexistent. Her had stopped asking for sex months ago, to which she had been glad. She didn't have the drive, the want, like she used to. Not since…._

_Her grip on the glass tightened. Robin had stopped asking if they could have sex months ago. Then this Zelena woman calls and says that she is pregnant. And obviously she hadn't known that Regina had been Robin's wife. Because what kind of woman would call the wife and say that. Well, she did sound young on the phone, Regina reasoned._

_If possible, her grip tightened even more on the wineglass before she brought it to her lips to drink from it once more. She was genuinely shocked that it hadn't cracked yet. Obviously this… whatever it was – affair – had been going on for a while. At least three or four months._

_That bastard! How could he do something like that! Regina was fuming. Robin had seemed like the perfect man. He had given her time to grieve over Daniel, hadn't pushed her to go further than she was ready to, had been an exceptional father to Henry. But now…._

_There was the sound of keys in the front door before it closed with a soft click. Robin's head poked around the corner, the rest of his body soon following._

_"_ _Hey. What are you still doing awake?" he asked, leaning against the door frame._

_Regina looked up from the coffee table where she had been gazing unfocusedly before. She gave him a smile, choosing to hide the pain and confliction that she was feeling. "I wanted to wait up for you." Her voice was soft as she spoke._

_Robin smiled at her from his spot against the wall. "That's really sweet of you, love."_

_"_ _I try," she said, taking one last sip from the still half full glass of wine. "You received a phone call today. I was asked to give you a message." Robin just stood there, waiting for her to continue." "A Miss West, it was." She rose to her feet. "Congratulations, you're going to be a father again."_

_Her voice rose with each syllable that left her lips, and when the last word was freed from her throat, the wineglass was freed from her hand with a violent throw. Robin flinched and ducked away as the glass shattered against the wall just inches from where he had been standing. Glass fell to the carpet as the red color of the wine stood out in a stark contrast against the white wall._

_"_ _Regina –"_

_"_ _Save it, Robin." She stalked closer to him, eyebrows drawn in anger. "I don't want to hear it. I want you out of this house. Now. Tomorrow you can collect a bag of your things from my office. After that, my lawyer will be in touch for you to come back for the rest of your belongings."_

_Robin stared at her, mouth slightly open. "Where am I supposed to go?"_

_"_ _Why don't you go to Zelena's? You haven't had any issues with keeping her bed warm before." Her hands came out in front of her as she pressed them to his chest, pushing him from the room and towards the front door._

_"_ _What about the boys?" Robin asked, looking up the stairway as he was backed into the foyer._

_"_ _You should've thought of them before you slept with another woman because you obviously weren't thinking of me; your wife." When Robin's back hit the front door, she reached for her left hand and twisted the two rings from her finger before throwing them at Robin. They hit him in the chest and fell into his open palms as he tried to catch them. "Goodbye, Robin."_

_"_ _Regina, don't act like this. Please."_

_"_ _I said goodbye!" she shouted._

_Her vision was slowly beginning to blur as tears started to form. Damn. She had been hoping to hold them off until after she had gotten him to leave. When his hand reached out towards her, she shot him a glare that could kill. Looking defeated, he reached for the doorknob and backed out of the open door._

_"_ _I'm sorry, Regina. This was never supposed to happen," he whispered, shutting the door softly behind him._

_Regina took a breath, reaching up to wipe the trail of tears from her cheeks. Turning on her heel, she walked upstairs, checking in at each of the boys' rooms to make sure that they were both still asleep. They were. Then she went to the master bedroom and instantly went to her vanity, lifting the lid of an old jewelry box. With shaking hands, she lifted a ring attached to a small chain and brought it to her lips._

_"_ _Oh, Daniel. What have I done to deserve this?"_


	6. Pipes and Turnovers

It was the middle of April and nearing two weeks since Emma had last seen or spoken to Regina. She had noticed the brunette's absence at the last baseball game, but had guessed that it was due to the presence of her ex-husband. Emma had simply shrugged it off and assumed that the two had come to an agreement to alternate their attendance to Henry's games. She was pleased, however, to see that Robin had attended the game with only Roland at his side. Henry had noticed as well and his excitement showed at he pitched his first no-hitter game.

But that had been last week and Emma found herself missing the woman that she technically had no right to miss. She felt stupid. Obviously the woman wasn't interested in her. If she had been, surely she would've said something by now. Maybe she was just nervous. Or maybe she just wasn't into women. She had never mentioned it before.

But then again, they had only really just talked that one time. And as silly as it sounded, Emma knew that she wanted to get to know the mayor better. If that meant just as friends, then Emma would take it. But it didn't hurt to try for something more.

She pressed the home button on her phone to check the time. Not too bad. Just eight in the evening. With a deep breath, she slid her finger across the screen and scrolled until she found the right number, tapping on it, and bringing the phone to her ear.

_Okay, Swan. You can do this. Just start with talking about how Henry has been doing. Then lead into –_

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded tense and the greeting being snapped into the receiver made Emma pull the phone away to make sure she had dialed the right number.

"Uh, hey there, Madame Mayor. This is Emma Swan, Henry's baseball coach." She paused when she heard a banging noise. And was that a muffled curse? "Is everything alright? Did I call at a bad time?"

"Oh, Miss Swan." She could've sworn she heard a relieved sigh. "Unless you know how to fix a busted pipe, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go."

Emma's heart thumped hard in her chest. "As a matter of fact, I do know how to fix a busted pipe." She couldn't help but grin.

"You do? Oh, that's wonderful. I've tried to shut off the water, but the valve will not budge. My kitchen is slowly flooding. Please hurry."

"I'll be over soon."

Emma ended the call and dug around in the small closet by the front door for her toolbox. Giving herself a once over, she figured that a tank top and shorts would be good enough to tackle the job. Soon she was in her car and heading to 108 Mifflin.

Just as she raised her hand to knock on the door, it flew open to reveal a flustered looking Regina, who appeared shorter than usual. Emma's eyes darted down to see bare feet with red painted toes staring back at her. As her gaze ascended, she noticed the slacks that had been rolled up to mid-calf and the wet circles of fabric at the woman's knees. Then she took in the dripping hem of the burgundy silk shirt and immediately knew that it was most likely ruined.

"Thank goodness you are here."

Regina reached out and wrapped her hand around Emma's wrist, half leading her and half dragging her into the house. The blonde woman could just barely make out the sound of water hitting the floor coming from the kitchen, the sound growing in decibels the closer they got to the kitchen.

"Whoa," Emma breathed as the scene presented itself to her.

Water was gushing out from under the kitchen sink, more than an inch of it covering the tiled floor. Emma's shoes made squishing splash noises as she moved to set her toolbox on the island.

"Um, okay. Where is the water valve?"

Regina opened the back door and gestured to the left, indicating a small metal pipe with a red knob. Emma bent down, gripping the knob with her right hand. Her muscles flexed as she tensed up, trying to turn the knob. She sucked in a sharp gasp as she released the knob with her right hand and instead gripped it with her left. She bit her lip and closed one eye as she focused on turning the knob, letting out the breath she had been holding with a smile as it finally gave way and she was able to shut the water off.

"There we go," she said, standing and looking back at Regina. "It was probably just rusted and that's why you couldn't turn it."

Regina let out a small huff. "I loosened it," she muttered.

Emma tried to hide her amused smile as she moved past Regina to walk back into the house. "Sure you did." She reached out and gave Regina's shoulder a small pat.

Walking back into the house, the two women found Roland sitting atop the island, digging through Emma's toolbox. Emma chuckled before going lean against the counter next to him.

"You plan on helping me?" she asked. The young boy looked up with a grin, nodding vigorously. Emma reached out and ruffled his hair. "Good. I'm going to need an assistant."

"I can be one of those," he said, grinning widely and showing two gaps in his smile where teeth had previously been.

Emma vocalized her agreement with the small boy as she began to pull tools from the metal box, giving their name and explaining the function of each. She set the few tools that she would need on the floor next to the open cabinet under the sink and set the closed toolbox on the floor so Roland would have a dry place to sit. Lifting the boy from the countertop, she set him down before dropping to her knees to examine the damage.

The pipe was not busted, but it did have a nice sized crack running along the side and was wrapping around the pipe. Emma began to pull out the few items that remained under the sink and set them aside before she turned onto her back and looked up at the pipe overhead.

"Alright assistant. I need a wrench." She held out her hand and waited for Roland to hand the tool to her. She didn't account for the weight being too much for the small boy and let out a loud "Oof!" as it slipped from his hand and landed on her stomach.

"Roland!" Regina exclaimed. The brunette moved from her spot against the island to kneel on the floor next to Emma.

"I'm sorry, Momma." Roland's lips trembled as his voice waivered.

"Hey, it's okay." Emma said, sliding out from under the sink to look at the boy. "I'm okay. It was just an accident." Then she turned to look at Regina. "Really, it's alright."

Regina opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of splashes coming from the other end of the kitchen stopped her.

"What's going on in here?" Henry asked in an annoyed tone. His bare feet slapped against the water as he moved around the island to see the three people on the floor. A red flush covered his neck and face in embarrassment as he saw Emma down there, too. "Oh. Uh, hi Coach. What are you doing here?"

"She called while I was trying to get you to come downstairs earlier and offered to fix the pipe. If you would've come down and at least helped turn the water off, the kitchen wouldn't be flooded." The look Regina gave Henry was the one hundred percent disapproving mother look. Henry had the sense to look down out of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I thought you were calling me to talk about Dad. I didn't want to talk." He moved his foot as he toed at the water, watching the small ripples his movements made.

Emma saw how Regina's facial expression softened from disapproving to understanding. She saw how the brunette's hand lifted as if to reach for her son, but stopped at the last second, letting her fingers curl in to form a loose fist as she pulled her hand away.

"Henry, remember what we talked about?" Emma said, looking up at the teen. He was a tall boy when she was standing next to him. His height seemed more extreme from her spot down on the floor. "Communication is important. Even if you don't want to talk about something you should still be mature enough to say so instead of letting your temper get out of check."

Henry nodded. "I know." He looked up from the floor. "I'm sorry, Mom." Then he looked back at Emma. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Regina watched in amazement as Henry's mood shifted instantly. Emma gave him a warm smile before she explained to both boys what she was going to do. Henry was completely absorbed in what Emma was telling him, even asking questions about things he didn't understand. Regina was completely in awe by it all; the way Henry was interacting with Emma and the way she was interacting back. The blonde woman was taking her time in explaining things to Henry; talking to him, not at him like Robin had been prone to doing as of late. She even simplified her words so that Roland could understand what she was talking about.

It was then that Regina knew that Emma was a good thing to have in her boys' lives. The thought hit her from out of nowhere, making her blink in a confused manner. Had she really just accepted the thought that Emma should be around more? She shook her head in a subtle manner as Kathryn and Ruby's words swam through her mind. She could be friends with Emma. There was nothing wrong with that. She was pulled from her thoughts as Emma slid out from under the sink, her tank top rising up to expose defined abdominal muscles. Regina's tongue darted out to lick her lips before she even realized she had done it. Okay, that had been nice to look at.

Emma walked outside and turned the water back on and was greeted with the affirmative cheer from Henry and Roland that she seal she had applied to the pipe was holding.

"Did you doubt my handy work?" she asked in a teasing tone, nudging Henry with her shoulder before she bent to put her tools back in the metal box.

"I never said that. You're putting words in my mouth." Henry laughed. The teen lifted his little brother up into his arms, saying that they would mop up the water in the kitchen for Regina before disappearing into the utility room.

"I don't know how I can even begin to repay you, Miss Swan," Regina said as she looked at the blonde woman.

"Well first off, it's Emma. Miss Swan makes me feel like I'm in trouble." The two women shared a laugh. "As for paying me back…." Emma tapped her chin in thought. "Henry once mentioned that you make these really awesome turnovers. And it kind of smells like you did some form of baking today." She turned hopeful eyes on Regina.

The brunette's mouth hung open. "How did you know?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing together. She opened the over door and pulled out a plastic container, setting it on the counter between herself and Emma. The blonde only grinned.

[SQ]

The two women found themselves on the back patio, an empty plate sitting next to the empty glass of milk that Emma insisted that she needed to go with the homemade apple turnover. Having foregone her usual glass of wine and instead opting for some tea, out of respect for Emma and her sobriety, Regina drained the last of her beverage before setting the empty mug next to the other dishes.

"Thank you for fixing my pipe," Regina said. She lifted her feet and tucked them beneath her. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't offered. Possibly called Robin, perhaps." The woman visibly shuddered at the thought.

Emma let out a small laugh as she stretched out. "It was no problem. I don't mind helping out a beautiful lady in need." The blonde's eyes widened as she slapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled from between her fingers.

Regina's shoulder bounced slightly as she chuckled. "It's quite alright, dear. I must say, I haven't been called that in a while."

"It's true, you know." Emma said, slowly lowering her hand. "You really are a beautiful woman. Especially when you are with your boys."

Regina glanced down at her fingers that were plucking at a loose string on the cushion, a small blush gracing her skin. "I… Thank you, Emma," she said softly. Her eyes glanced up to meet Emma's gaze. "You are really great with the boys, too. With everything that has been going on, they haven't been given the kind of interaction and attention that they deserve; the kind that you've shown them tonight."

"It's no big deal." Emma shrugged as if it wasn't anything special.

"It is a big deal, Emma. I'd hate to think about how Henry would be acting if it wasn't for you. And with Roland always looking up to his big brother as a role model, it helps."

Now Emma looked down at her fingers. "You are making me blush."

"Well I daresay that it looks good on you."

The blonde woman glanced up with a shy smile. She felt the tips of her ears burn with the onset of her previously mentioned blush. If she wasn't mistaken, that had been a very flirtatious line that Regina had sent her way. She opened her mouth to speak, but Regina cut her off.

"It's awfully late."

Emma clicked the home button on her cellphone and thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head when she saw the time. It was nearly midnight.

"I am soooo sorry," she said, looking back at Regina apologetically. "Why didn't you kick me out earlier?"

"I was enjoying your company," she said with a shrug. "Besides, I've been hearing cars slowing down in front of the house for a while now; no doubt because of your obscenely yellow death trap parked out front."

When Emma gaped at her, Regina gave her a playful wink. Emma shook her head as she laughed softly, rising to her feet.

"Since you seem so insulted by my car, the least you can do is walk me out to it like a proper gentlewoman."

And like the gentlewoman she was, Regina did walk Emma out to her car. They stood on the sidewalk next to it. The streetlights had long since been lit for the evening, basking both women in a soft glow from overhead. Standing there, Emma realized how much shorter Regina was than her. At least a good two or three inches.

"Well, Miss Swan, I do believe you should head home. Best not to give the passing townsfolk anything else to gossip about tomorrow." Regina lifted her hand to wave at a passing car.

"You don't think they would gossip about you, huh?" the blonde questioned.

Regina laughed as she lifted a hand and pushed some hair behind her ear. "Dear, if there is going to be gossip tomorrow, it will most likely be about me."

Emma cracked a slow smile as she took in the sight of Regina laughing before her. The brunette seemed so carefree and relaxed, appearing much younger than the thirty-six years she had previously claimed to be. Then she had lifted her hand to push those silky looking brown locks from her face, exposing those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes fully.

Emma felt her chest tighten and her stomach flutter. "Well, why don't we give them something worth gossiping about?" she said as she lifted her hands to gently cup Regina's cheeks. The touch warmed her palms as she lean in close and pressed her lips to the full red ones before her just as another car passed by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A great big thank you to all that had left kudos and comments! It's you that keeps me going. Keep your eyes open for more chapters that will be posted soon.


	7. Popular

The mug of coffee warmed her palms as Regina held the ceramic container between her hands, the design on which was a picture of her with both of her boys accompanied with 'Best Mom Ever' written in red letters on the opposite side. It was black with a touch of cream, just the way she liked it. The steam rose from the dark liquid and swirled in the air, lingering long enough for the woman to inhale the inviting scent before tilting the mug to her lips to be able to have that first taste of the day. Leaning back in her office chair, she closed her eyes and savored the rich flavor that washed over her tongue and down her throat to warm her from the inside.

Regina had just lifted to mug to her lips for a second sip when insistent knocking startled her. As her body jerked with surprise, coffee sloshed over the rim of the mug, falling to stain her cream colored blouse. She set the mug down on her desk a bit harder than necessary before calling out for whoever was on the other side of the door to enter.

Kathryn moved through the doorway before Regina had finished speaking the words. The brunette rose from her desk with a roll of her eyes, moving to the small closet off to the side of her office to pull out a clean shirt. She began to unbutton the soiled one as she spoke.

"What brings you by so early, Kat?"

"There's gossip down at Granny's."

"Tell me something new," Regina deadpanned. She shrugged on the new blouse, this one a deep red color, and began to button it up. "Let me guess, it pertains to me?"

Kathryn dropped into the chair in front of the large wooden desk. "You and a certain blonde baseball coach," she said, reaching over the desk to grab the cup of coffee for herself. "What was she doing at your house?"

"She came to fix a leaky pipe that had busted."

"Oh, is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Kathryn teased, smirking behind the rim of the mug before taking a slow sip.

"I'm serious, Kat. My kitchen was flooding and she came to the rescue."

"That's not all she did. I heard you two kissed."

"Mhmm," Regina agreed with a small hum. There was no use in trying to hide it from her friend. She returned to her chair and stared at her blonde friend, waiting for the onslaught of questions that were sure to follow.

"Well," Kathryn pressed," how was it?"

[SQ]

_"_ _Why don't we give them something worth gossiping about?" Emma lifted her hands to cup Regina's cheeks softly before bending her head down to press their lips together._

_Regina gasped softly when she saw Emma inching closer to her. Not knowing what else to do, she closed her eyes as she felt Emma's lips touch her own. The kiss was sweet and gentle, just on the borderline of being tentative, Emma's lips moving against her own slowly, savoring the moment. The lack of facial stubble scratching against her face was a welcome feeling._

_The brunette shifted herself as she lifted a hand to rest on Emma's shoulder before moving it up to cup the back of her neck and finally tangling her fingers in the hair there, pulling her closer. Emma let out a low moan as she gently nipped at the full bottom lip, pulling it back just enough so that it made a soft popping sound when it was released. She pulled back enough to be able to focus on Regina's face._

_Regina's face. Regina. Regina!_

_Emma dropped her hands from the brunette's cheeks, stepping away from the woman with wide eyes. Her foot slipped off the sidewalk and she stumbled back against her yellow bug with a hard thud._

_"_ _Regina, I… I'm sorry. That was – I didn't – Jesus Christ." She ran a hand through her hair nervously. "I'm just going to go."_

_She didn't give Regina time to respond to her sudden departing words before she jumped in her car and sped off down the street. Regina watched taillights grow smaller as the distance between them increased before they disappeared with a left turn. She lifted a slightly shaky hand, touching her fingers to her lips._

_She had kissed Emma Swan. And it hadn't felt wrong._

[SQ]

Regina reached back across the desk to take her cup of coffee back from her blonde friend. Her fingers curled around the ceramic, disappointment washing over her as she discovered the coffee had grown cold. "It was nice," she finally answered, resting her head back against her chair. Truth be told, she didn't need to think about the answer to Kathryn's question. Her mind was still replaying the events of the previous night. And each time the scene would end, she always felt the same way about it.

Kathryn let out a small squeal of delight. "See, I told you. This is great."

"Kat, calm down. It was just a kiss." Regina lifted a hand to halt her friend's premature celebration. "Then she pulled away before proceeding to apologize and leave in a hurry."

Kathryn's excited expression fell with a deflated sigh. "Oh." She drummed her fingers against the wooden arm of the chair. "Then you need to make the next move."

"Excuse me? There is no move to make. It was just one kiss. Perhaps she thought it was a mistake."

"Did it feel like a mistake?"

Emma's words paraded through her mind once more. _Let's give them something worth gossiping about._ That had been purposeful wording, not something done on a whim.

"No, it did not feel like a mistake."

Regina watched as a grin spread across her friend's face and felt a bit nervous about the expression. Having known the woman since she was 18, nearly twenty years, she had grown to know that she wasn't going to like what was about to come out of Kathryn's mouth.

"You should ask her out."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not interested in women."

"That's bull. You may not be interested in women, but you are interested in Emma. I saw your face when I asked about the kiss. You liked it."

Regina felt her face grow warm at Kathryn's words, the blush quickly coloring her cheeks. There was no use trying to deny that she had indeed liked it. And that was what shocked her immensely. Sure, she could appreciate another woman's aesthetics , but not once in her 36 years had she entertained the idea of being with a woman in the same manner in which she had been with a man.

"I may have enjoyed it a little bit," she finally conceded, eyes focusing on anything but the blonde sitting before her.

"I cannot wait to tell Ruby," Kathryn said, a grin stretching wide across her face.

The phone on the desk buzzed before the secretary's voice came through the speaker. "Madame Mayor, there is an Emma Swan here who would like to speak with you. She does not have an appointment."

Regina shot a pair of eyes over to Kathryn, daring her to make a sound. Kathryn lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter at the coincidence of the situation. Regina maintained eye-contact with her friend as she spoke.

"Thank you, Amelia. You may let Miss Swan in."

There was a soft click as the phone line disconnected with a short delay of a few seconds before the door knob turned and a head of blonde curls peeked in.

"I hope I'm not intruding." Emma asked with a small lopsided smile.

Regina couldn't help but smile back at the woman as she rose from her seat. "No, not at all. Kat was just leaving."

Kathryn was still sitting, nodding absentmindedly as she looked over at Emma, analyzing the woman she desperately wanted her friend to get with. Then Regina's words registered in her brain and she jumped up from the chair.

"Right. Yes. I was leaving. Am leaving." She gave Regina a quick hug as the brunette walked to stand in front of her desk. "I'll talk to you later."

Regina's response of a snarky remark was the last thing Kathryn caught as she slipped past Emma, giving her a small nod before closing the door and signaling the end of her departure.

Emma stepped more into the room, moving to stand before Regina, the latter of which was now leaning against the edge of her desk. A sudden bought of shyness and embarrassment washed over Emma as she lifted a to-go cup of coffee up for Regina to take.

"I, uh, asked Ruby how you liked it," she said, looking down, not daring to look Regina in the eyes. That had been a mistake. Instead she got an eyeful of tan lets and smooth thighs that were increasingly becoming more exposed as Regina took the cup from her and situated herself in a seated position on the desk.

"Thank you." Regina gave a small smile as she lifted the coffee to her lips. It was still hot and warmed her pleasantly, unlike the forgotten cup she had been attempting to enjoy before Kathryn had barged in. "Emma, about last night."

"I'm so sorry about that." Emma quickly launched into her apology. She began to pace as she ran a hand through her hair, hand coming to rest on the back of her neck. "I don't know what came over me. I thought we had flirted a little on your back patio and them the moment seemed right. And, oh God, did I really say that cheesy line of giving them something to gossip about?" She flopped down into the chair and let her head fall into her hands with a groan.

Regina hid her amused smile behind the cup. "Emma?" She received a hum in response. "Please look at me."

Emma lifted her head from her hands and sat back in the chair, willing herself to relax. "I'm really sorry," she said again.

"You don't have to apologize."

Wide eyes stared back at her in confusion. "What?"

Regina chuckled softly. "There is nothing to apologize for. You were right, we did flirt. And that was a nice kiss. But, I've never been with a woman before and with the divorce and Robin and the boys…." She trailed off as she noticed Emma's fallen expression and how the blonde was staring down at her fidgeting fingers.

Regina slid off the desk and carefully lowered herself to the floor to meet Emma's gaze. "These feelings, they are all new to me," she admitted softly, effectively gaining the blonde's attention again. "I felt something when we kissed. But I don't know how to act on it or even if I should."

Emma nodded her understanding. "It's too soon, yeah? With your divorce just being finalized and stuff. I shouldn't have made the move."

"No, Emma, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Would this be something you would ever consider?" Emma asked, gesturing between them and failing miserably at hiding her hopeful expression.

Regina bit her lower lip as she thought about Kathryn's words from earlier and considered the question. So many factors ran through her mind. The divorce, their age difference, the boys, what the townspeople would say. But in the back of her mind she would make out Daniel's voice telling her that she deserved to be happy and that she should do what felt right. Her mind was made up.

"Yes, this is something I would consider," she said. A smile instantly broke out on her face as she saw joy wash over Emma's. "I just need some time."

"I can do time," Emma agreed with a nod. "But while we are waiting, do you think you could give me a chance to redo last night, minus the freak out at the end?"

This time Regina let out a full laugh, the sound warming Emma's insides. Maybe it was the fact that she was smitten with the woman, but she thought it was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. "I supposed I could give you that chance."

She placed a hand on Emma's knee to steady herself as they both leaned in towards the other. Regina's eyes darted between Emma's lips and eyes.

"I'm a little nervous," Regina admitted in a whisper.

"Me, too," Emma whispered back. She reached out to push a lock of fallen hair behind Regina's ear before they began to lean close together again. Just as their lips were about to touch, a loud commotion from outside door startled them, making Regina quickly pull back as she suddenly rose to her feet.

"I don't care if she has the President of the United States of American in there, I need to speak to my wife!"

 _Ex-wife,_ Regina thought as she heard Robin continue to argue with her secretary before the door flew open, banging loudly against the wall.

Emma watched the change wash over the woman standing before her. Now, she stood taller; back straight, shoulders back, head held high. A mask slid into place and Emma just knew that a while slew of walls had gone up.

"I would appreciate it if you could not destroy my office." Regina folded her arms across her chest and stared Robin down, waiting for the explanation she knew she deserved.

Robin tried to hold his ground from his spot in the doorway. His brow was furrowed in anger and his eyes narrowed to pierce Regina with an accusatory glare. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't flaunt your affair where the townspeople can see. People are talking, Regina."

"My affair? Oh, dear. You must have us confused Robin." She tried to hide her amused smirk as Robin's anger flared again.

"You were seen kissing a woman in front of our home, while out boys were inside!"

Regina lifted an eyebrow in question. "Is there a problem that it was a woman?"

"Yes! No!" Robin stomped his foot in frustration. "You know I do not have a problem with something like that." Then it was as if realization dawned on him. He lowered his voice and his expression softened. "Is that what it is, Regina? Is that why you stopped wanting to be intimate?"

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh of annoyance as she did so. This was not a conversation she wanted to be having with her ex-husband, let alone in front of Emma. She could see the blonde fidgeting in her peripheral.

"You know, I think I'm just going to go. My planning period is almost over." Emma rose to her feet and moved towards the door, giving Robin a nod as she did so. "Mr. Locksley."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Robin's anger flared up again instantly, his gaze alternating between the two women, finally landing on Regina as he continued. "Were you planning on fucking her and continuing this little dyke fest? At least this – Hey!"

Regina let out a small yelp of surprise as she saw Emma suddenly pinning Robin up against the wall. This was a side of Emma she had never seen before. The vein in the blonde's neck bulged out and the muscles in her arms flexed as she easily held the struggling Robin in place. Her usually emerald eyes had darkened in anger and her upper lip was pulled back in a half snarl.

"That is no way to speak to a lady," she said in a low voice. "Regina did nothing to warrant you calling her that obscene name, which clearly contradicts your claim of not discriminating. Now, I believe you owe her an apology." When Robin only struggled more against her, Emma leaned back a fraction before pressing against Robin with more force than before. "Now."

"Sorry," Robin managed to croak out.

Emma gave him one last shove against the wall before stepping away from him completely. Robin rubbed at the spot Emma had been pressing against, opening his mouth to make a remark. When Emma lifted a challenging eyebrow at him, he shut it back and made a quick exit from the office.

With a sigh, Emma finally allowed her body to relax. "I'm sorry, Regina," she apologized, feeling too ashamed of her actions to look over at the brunette. "I don't know what came over me."

There was a small moment of silence.

"Well, it certainly has been a long time since that wall has seen so much action." Emma's head snapped around to stare at Regina in shock. The brunette only smirked before she could no longer hold her laughter in. "I'm only joking, dear. Something to break the tension."

Emma shook her head, but the beginning of a smile was evident on her face. "You are something else," she finally chuckled. "But I really do have to go. I'll call you later, yeah?"

Regina nodded as Emma kissed her cheek before departing. She watched her close the office door behind her as she left before lifting a hand to touch the spot that Emma had kissed. Regina returned to her desk with the though that she had been mighty popular that morning only to be greeted with a text from Kathryn.

**So, did Coach Swan help you with any more leaky pipes? ;)**

Dammit, Kathryn.


	8. Stating Facts

_The shakes had started three days ago and had since transitioned into shivers accompanied with the sweats. The young blonde lay sprawled out on her bed dressed in just a tank top and an old pair of boxers, both of which were clinging to the woman. Staring up at the ceiling, Emma did not even acknowledge her front door opening nor the tall figure that stood in the doorway of her bedroom._

_"_ _How are you feeling, Swan?" August asked, his voice low so he wouldn't startle the woman from her thoughts._

_Emma blinked slowly, waiting for her eyes to focus on the ceiling fan again before she spoke. "Like shit. Why did I think this would be a good idea?"_

_Turning suddenly, Emma leaned over the side of the bed and reached for the mop bucket, lifting it as she emptied what little contents that remained in her stomach. She dropped the bucket back beside the bed before curling up in a ball on her side, a sob tearing from her throat. August sat down beside her, reaching out and rubbing her back soothingly._

_"_ _It has to get worse before it can get better."_

_"_ _If you tell me that one more time, I swear I will punch you in the throat," Emma threatened._

_She found it hard to believe that things would get better. With her injury, Lily leaving, and her downward spiral into alcoholism, Emma thought that her detoxing was just the icing on the cake. Something had to give and it had to give soon._

_"_ _I read that it takes about a week or so for your body to get through detox." August reached for the towel on the bedside table as he spoke, wiping the sweat from his friend's brow before wiping a smear of bile from her chin._

_"_ _I don't know if I can make it through another four days of this." Emma rolled over to she could face her friend. "August, why is this so hard?" She reached up to furiously wipe away the few tears that rolled down her cheeks. She had shown enough weakness in front of her friend._

_"_ _It's only hard because you've never had to do it before." August slid down the bed so that he could lay down facing Emma. "It's going to be smooth sailing once this passes."_

_Emma nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay. I'm trusting you on this."_

_The dark haired man smiled, leaning forward to place a kiss on her clammy forehead. "That's all I'm asking."_

_[SQ]_

_August walked into the apartment, arms full of groceries. "A little help would be nice, Em!" he called out. The loud thump of a book hitting the wooden table was heard before Emma appeared from around the corner._

_"_ _Sorry. I was studying for my finals."_

_She helped her roommate carry the bags into the kitchen, depositing them on the table and deciding to let August put the groceries away before she returned to the living room. August tried to keep the noise to a minimum, not wanting to disturb Emma too much as she studied. He knew it was a big final that she had coming up._

_The blonde stood next to the coffee table, rubbing her chin in thought as she stared down at the vast array of books and notes spread out before her. She leaned down to read a sentence more closely before turning to the white board that was set up against the wall and scribbled on it. The noise from the kitchen had stopped and she could only assume that August was watching her. Her suspicions were confirmed when he spoke._

_"_ _Who is that Pagent guy?"_

_Emma chuckled lightly as she wrote something below the name that August had mispronounced. "It's Piaget. He's an educational theorist about the different developmental stages children go through during their adolescent years."_

_August rolled his eyes behind Emma's back. "Of course. How silly of me to forget." He twisted the top off of a glass bottle that he had been holding, the sound making Emma's head jerk around._

_"_ _Is that a beer?"_

_The mouth of the bottle stopped inches from his mouth as he glanced down at the blue label decorated with silver letters that adorned the dark colored glass. His gaze flew up to meet the furious one Emma was shooting his way._

_"_ _Em – "_

_"_ _One thing, August! I ask one thing of you! Don't bring alcohol into this house!" Her face reddened with obvious anger as her grip on the dry erase marker tightened. "I know it may not seem like much to you, but four months sober is a big deal to me."_

_One moment she was staring at August as he stood behind the couch, then the next he was a hazy blur. Then the coffee table was eye level. There was the sound of the bottle being tossed into the trash just as a sob tore itself from Emma's throat. August dropped to his knees, gathering Emma in his arms and gently rocking her._

_"_ _I'm sorry, Emma. I wasn't thinking. Four months is a really great accomplishment," he soothed as he stroked her hair. "I'll dump it all out into the sink and won't bring any back in the house."_

_The blonde gripped the fabric of August's shirt tighter as she sniffed. "It's just really hard," she managed between hiccoughs._

_"_ _Shh. You're going to stay strong. You can do this."_

[SQ]

Emma often thought back to the time when she decided to call August and tell him that she needed help with getting sober. After all, the first steps to solving the problem is to admit that there is a problem to begin with. It had been rough in the beginning with many near slip ups along the way, especially when it came down to the tests that stood in the way of Emma getting her degree. But here she was four years later and she was still going strong.

Of course it was a daily battle. The urge to crack open a cold one at the end of a long day still nagged at her, but with each passing day the want waned. And so, like any other sane person, she replaced one addiction with the other. Emma's current addiction: grilled cheese sandwiches from Granny's Diner.

Currently, she sat at the desk in her office, elbows planted firmly on the wooden surface, holding the grilled cheese at optimal mouth-level. A root beer sat off to the side, ready to step in if need be, but Emma knew she wouldn't touch the carbonated drink until she was finished enjoying the piece of heaven that was lifted towards her open mouth. It never made it to its destination, however, as Henry flung open the door without knocking and stormed into the office.

"You kissed my mom!"

The sandwich halted its journey to Emma's mouth, stopping just inches from its final destination. With a sigh, Emma set the heavenly combination of cheese and bread back down on its saran wrapper and leaned back in her chair, looking at the angry teen in front of her.

"Henry – "

"The entire school is talking about it! Do you know how many people have questioned me about it!?" The boy began to pace in front of the desk.

"How many?" Emma asked, her eyes following him.

"A lot." He stopped in front of the desk and faced her, expression entirely serious. "Are you two dating?"

"No, we are not," she said with a shake of her head.

"Are you two sleeping together?"

"Henry!" Her eyes widened in shock at the question. "That is a very inappropriate question." Upon seeing the boy's guilty expression, she sighed once more. "No. We aren't doing that either."

Henry chewed on his bottom lip before plopping down in one of the chairs in front of the teacher's desk. "But you do like my mom, right? That's why you kissed her?"

Emma chuckled softly as she nodded. "Yeah, something like that. I'm attracted to your mom, but we both feel like it's a little too soon to begin something right now."

Henry nodded his agreement. "Yeah. Because people will think that you two were together before the divorce. Like Dad and Zelena." He scrunched up his nose as he voiced the last name.

"Exactly. Your mom is a nice lady. I don't want people to say rude things about her behind her back."

"What about you?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm used to it. I used to play softball professionally, remember? There was always one rumor or another following me around." She reached from the root beer and took a sip, watching Henry nod his understanding once more.

"Is that something you would be okay with?" she continued after a small pause. "Me dating your mom?"

Henry bit his lip as he looked down at his lap feeling conflicted. "I don't know. Maybe?"

Emma leaned forward onto her desk, catching Henry's attention. "What about this? How about when the time comes, I ask you for permission to date your mom?"

Henry mauled over the offer in his head, tilting it side to side as he thought it over. "Alright. I think I can manage that." He extended his hand out to his blonde coach and they shook on it.

[SQ]

"Robin and Henry are at each other's' throats, Robin is getting married in two weeks, Zelena is due in about three months, and I can't stop thinking about Miss Swan."

Ruby and Kathryn wore matching amused expressions as they watched Regina take a few heavy gulps from her wineglass after her miniature monologue. Though none of the information shocked them, nor was any of it new, they both chose to remain quiet and let the woman continue on her rant.

The few weeks that had passed since Robin had confronted Regina in her office had been rough on the mayor. Since then, Robin had insisted that the boys have dinner with him and Zelena at least twice a week in addition to them spending every other weekend together. Roland had been ecstatic with the idea. Henry, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His resentment towards his father had only grown with each passing day. The young teen had even resorted to asking Emma to practice with him longer on the nights he was supposed to have dinner with Robin just so he would have an excuse to avoid being in the other woman's presence.

Then there had been the matter of Robin and Zelena needing to acquire a marriage license. Since Storybrooke was such a small town, Regina was the one who handled the legal documents such as the one being sought by the couple. Robin had been smart to stay away from Regina since their altercation. However, he had not been smart when he had sent Zelena to collect the much needed paperwork.

Regina had tried her hardest to be polite and to hold the forced smile upon her face as she dealt with the accented red-head. And though she had to keep reminding herself to maintain eye contact with the woman, she couldn't help but let her gaze drop to the highly obvious baby bulge, the whole reason behind her marriage falling apart. To her own amazement, she had kept her composure and had even bid the woman a good day as she left the office.

And finally, there had been the near constant thoughts about Emma. That had been the highlight of her days. Though they hadn't had time to spend together, they did spend time on the phone talking to each other late into the evenings. Emma had talked about about the agreement she had made with Henry while Regina had complained about small town politics. Emma had then followed up with talk about lesson plans and the upcoming baseball games before the two had dissolved into small fits of laughter. And Regina couldn't be happier. Well, maybe if all the extra stress would go away. Which was why Ruby and Katheryn were currently occupying the couch in the living room with wine glasses on a Thursday night.

Regina paced the length of her living room, passing back and forth in front of the couple, with her half empty glass of wine being held against her chest. She tapped the rim against her bottom lip in thought before Ruby's voice filled the room.

"Come on, Reggie. We know you have the hots for the woman. The least you can do is call her Emma."

Regina rolled her eyes at Ruby's comment, choosing to ignore it before she verbally expressed the thoughts she had been having. "If I'm being honest, she makes me feel things that I haven't felt since Daniel was alive."

Kathryn blinked at her friend, surprise clearly written across her features. The blonde knew how in love with Daniel her friend had been all those years ago, and to hear her express that Emma was making her feel that way once again really put everything into perspective.

"Does she really make you feel like that?" Kathryn asked softly.

Regina nodded, lifting her glass to her lips in the hopes that the alcoholic beverage would calm her nerves about admitting how she felt. When she turned to face her friends, they noticed the glistening of unshed tears in chocolate brown eyes.

"But I'm scared. The last time I felt like this was with Daniel and now he is gone. Then Robin came into my life and said all the right things to win me over. My feelings for him were strong, yet nothing compared to how I felt about Daniel. Now we are divorced." She paused to finish what was left of her drink. "Now Emma is awakening feelings that I haven't felt in nearly seventeen years and that scares me." Regina finally flopped down in the chair next to the couch, slouching down and toeing off her heels as she did so.

Kathryn and Ruby shared a concerned look before both rising and going sit closer to Regina. Ruby grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled the mayor's empty glass. The bottle and wineglass clinked together as she jumped from being startled as Regina suddenly let out a laugh.

"This is crazy. I shouldn't feel this way about her. She shouldn't feel this way about me. She shouldn't want me." Regina pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping one arm around them as she rested her chin on her knees. "I'm old."

"Now hold on there," Ruby said, holding up a hand to stop Regina from saying anything else. "I'm going to stop you right there. We," she gestured between Kathryn and herself, "are the same age as you. We are not old. Therefore you are not old."

"We," Regina gestured between the three of them, "are in our mid-thirties. We are old."

"Okay. You can be old. But we aren't," Ruby said, shaking her head. "And some people like older women. You can call yourself a cougar. Ow!" Ruby rubbed the spot on her arm where Kathryn had just slapped her.

The blonde woman turned from glaring at her wife to look at Regina with concerned eyes. Reaching forward, she plucked the wineglass from Regina's hand and placed it on the coffee table before taking the tan hands into her own and squeezing them gently.

"Regina, what is all of this really about? You're never this insecure about anything."

Regina swallowed, eyes cast down as her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips. "I really like her," she said softly. "But I don't want to pursue anything because I don't want it to end the same as my last two relationships."

"Sweetheart, you haven't even started dating yet and you are already talking about the relationship failing. What if it doesn't? What if this is it for you?" Kathryn squeezed her hands once more. "You already said that you feel more for her than you felt for Robin, that you feel like that you felt with Daniel." At Regina's nod, she continued. "Don't you want that happiness, that love, back?"

Once again, Regina nodded slowly. "I do. I really do. But I don't want people to talk."

"Fuck what other people say." Both women turned to look at Ruby with raised eyebrows. "I'm serious. Let them talk. You deserve to be happy. And if Emma makes you happy, then you should go for it."

Regina looked between the two women, seeking their approval. "You really believe that?"

"Yes," they said in unison before Ruby continued. "Do it for you, Reggie."

Regina nodded slowly, letting the words sink in. It had been years since she had done something solely for herself instead of for the benefit of others.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to invite her over for dinner one night, right?" The words had barely left her mouth before Kathryn was pressing the cellphone into her empty hand, nodding encouragingly.

Pulling her hand away, Regina rolled her eyes half-heartedly, knowing her friends were only trying to do what they thought was best for her. Her thumb danced across the phone screen, dialing the familiar number quickly before pressing it to her ear. Her lips quirked up into a smile as the call was answered.

"Hello, Emma. I have a question to ask you."


	9. The Non-Date

The dew covered grass glistened in the early dawn light. A light layer of fog stood stagnate just off the ground, combining with the sun rise to paint a strangely eerie scene. Henry paid no mind to what was around him, knowing that he didn't have long to have this conversation before he needed to get to school. He pulled the jacket a bit tighter around him to ward off the early spring chill.

"Hey, Dad," he began when he finally stood at his destination. "I'm sorry that I haven't visited in a while. Things have just been so hectic. There's school and baseball, and Mom has been going a little crazy. But don't tell her I said that."

Henry shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked around them, taking in how the trees swayed in the light breeze and how his breath was a whisper of smoke in the cool morning air. His father hadn't answered him, sitting silent, as he knew he wouldn't. And so he continued.

"Speaking of Mom…." He trailed off briefly. "I know she misses you, even if she doesn't say it. But I can tell by things she does. Like how she stops to look at your picture or pictures of all of us together. Or how she made chocolate chip cookies last week and mentioned how it was your favorite." He chuckled as he remembered how his mom had said she used to slap his dad's hands away from the bowl to keep him from dipping into the cookie batter.

"We all know that you two will never been together again, and I know Mom has come to terms with it. But I also know that you would want her to be happy. And, well… My baseball coach kind of has the hots for Mom. And she's talked to me about asking my permission to date Mom. But that's a tough call for me to make. I really just want to see her smile and be happy again."

Henry lifted his arm and glanced down at his wrist, eyes widening. "I have to go to school now or I'll be late. I promise I'll come by and visit more. Bye Dad, I love you."

He turned on his heel and ran back the way he had come, leaving behind the stone memorial that bore his father's name; Daniel Colter.

[SQ]

Emma stood in front of the full length mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door, alternating holding two different outfits in front of her. The first outfit was a pair of jeans with a nice button down plaid shirt that would be paired with a pair if knee high boots. Sure, it was a bit stereotypical, but what could she do? She then held up the next outfit for inspection. It was a cute little light green sun dress that stopped at her knees to be paired with a pair of sandals. Definitely less stereotypical and definitely more date-like.

"It's not a date," she mumbled to herself. "Don't dress like it's a date."

And so the dress had been thrown to the bed in favor of the jeans and button down plaid shirt. After stepping into the boots and zipping them up, Emma once again found herself studying her appearance in the mirror. A small amount of thought was all it took before she decided to leave her hair down in light curls and to forego makeup. Not a date, she kept telling herself.

Now Emma sat in the bug out in front of the mayoral mansion, gripping the steering wheel tightly. She was on her fifteenth round of counting to three. With one final deep breath to calm her nerves, she finally opened the door knowing that it was now or never.

The walk up the pathway to the front door seemed longer than it has been the last two times that she had been on it. Then again, the first time Regina had met her halfway in a panic and the second time she had been more focuses on getting to Regina's aid for a flooding kitchen. This time was different.

She stood in front of the front door, hand raised for a good two minutes before she finally let her knuckles fall against the wooden door, knocks echoing from the action. The sound of movement from the other side greeted Emma's ears before the door opened and a confused Henry stood before her.

"Coach Swan? What are you doing here?"

Emma opened her mouth to respond, not having expected Henry to answer the door, but Regina walked up behind her son and opened the door a bit wider, answering for the blonde woman.

"I invited her." She turned to give Emma a warm smile. "Miss Swan, please come in."

Regina tapped Henry on the shoulder so that he would move out of the doorway so that Emma could enter their home. The blonde woman smiled at both of them as she stepped over the threshold. Henry closed the door behind her and stared at the two women, watching them closely. Emma shifted from foot to foot nervously, chewing on her bottom lip. Regina pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, eyes locked on Emma.

"Mom, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Henry asked, walking up to them. He took his mother's hand before turning back to his coach, his manners coming back to him. "Please make yourself at home."

Regina furrowed her brow in confusion as Henry practically dragged her to the kitchen. She threw Emma an apologetic look over her shoulder before she disappeared around the corner.

"Henry, what are you doing?" she asked in a low voice when they were out of view. The teenage boy looked up at his mom.

"Dad would want you to be happy," he finally said.

Regina's confusion only grew. "What are you talking about? I'm fairly certain that Robin only cares about – "

Henry shook his head and waved his hands to stop her. "No, not him. _Dad_." He stressed the last word and gave Regina pointed look.

Realization dawned on her. "Oh."

"I went visit Dad yesterday. And I talked to him about you. I remembered some of the stories you told me about him. It made me think about how you aren't really happy anymore. And you deserve to be happy."

"What are you saying, Henry?"

"I'm saying that you should date Coach Swan."

Regina could feel her emotions bubbling within. She knew it had taken a lot for Henry to come to that decision. Smiling, she opened her arms and Henry stepped forward to accept the hug.

"Thank you," she whispered before they pulled apart.

The teen grinned. "We should probably go get her and start dinner. Don't want the casserole to get cold." And with that he had walked out of the kitchen to go get Roland for dinner.

Regina moved back to the foyer in search of Emma. She poked her head into the living room and noticed Emma studying the pictures on the mantel. She watched as Emma lifted one picture in particular to get a better look. It was one of Regina and Daniel, his arms wrapping around her from behind with his hands coming together to make a heart on her slightly swollen belly.

"That one is Henry's favorite," Regina said, finally moving into the living room fully.

Emma jumped, fumbling with the picture on her startled state. She caught it and clutched it to her chest protectively, turning to give Regina a guilty look. Thinking better of it, she set the picture back down on the mantel so she wouldn't drop it.

"It is?" she asked.

Regina stood next to Emma, eyes lingering on the photograph as she nodded. "It's the only decent picture we have of Daniel and Henry, even if Henry wasn't born yet. The others are more…" She tilted her head side to side as she thought of the fitting term, "…intimate."

"How so?"

Regina cracked a small smile. "I'm sorry, Miss Swan. You have made a third date request while still on a first date level. Please try again later."

Emma stared at the woman beside her, wondering where on Earth she had pulled that response from. Her curiosity soon faded into amusement before a laugh left her mouth.

"Guess I better start making progress then, huh?"

"I guess so," Regina grinned. "Are you hungry? Roland requested taco casserole."

Before Emma could voice that she was always hungry, two pairs of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. The first pair was heavy with a steady rhythm while the second pair was lighter and more fast-paced. Emma looked out towards the foyer. "I think the boys are ready."

[SQ]

Dinner had been a successful affair. Roland had insisted that Emma should take his spot to the left of Regina, even going as far as attempting to push her chair in for her. Emma had thanked him and complimented him on his gentleman like actions. Henry and Emma had mostly talked about baseball and how if they won the next two games that they would be heading to the playoffs. Regina had joined in the conversations but also didn't mind sitting in silence and watching Emma interact with the boys.

It's not that she would hate to admit it. In fact, she would gladly inform anyone who asked. But Regina loved the fact that Emma was so good with the boys and that they seemed to take to her as well. It gave her hope that if – when she and Emma decided to pursue something more, that this connection the boys had with her would help ease them into the transition.

Once dinner had finished, the boys had disappeared upstairs to take their baths, leaving Emma and Regina alone. Emma ran a hand through her hair and chuckled as she and Regina stood by the front door.

"That was probably the best non-date I've ever had"

Regina lifted a brow in question. "Non-date?"

"Well, yeah." Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "I promised Henry that I would ask him for permission to date you. And we haven't talked about it yet. So, tonight was a very nice non-date."

Now Regina lifted both brows in understanding. She was touched that Emma was upholding a promise she had made to Henry, something Robin hadn't done in months.

"I see. Though it is quite a shame that you think of tonight as being a non-date considering Henry gave me the okay to date you when he pulled me aside earlier."

Emma dropped her hand from the back of her neck as she looked at Regina confused. "Wait, what?"

Regina moved closer to her. "Henry said that I should be happy and that I should date you. So this non-date was actually a date."

"Oh yeah?" Emma smirked as she took a step closer to the brunette woman, her hand reaching out to grab Regina's.

"Yes." Regina looked into green eyes and felt her heart swell. Everything about the evening, from sitting down to dinner to the conversations to standing with Emma there, had felt right. "So I do believe it should end the way a proper date should end."

Emma grinned as Regina lifted her hand to place her palm against a pale cheek. She leaned forward, eyes closing as her lips met red painted ones. Regina sighed softly as their lips met for the first time since the commotion in her office. The feeling of everything being right only grew stronger.

The two women broke apart when they heard the small gasp followed by "ewww" come from overhead. They looked up to see Roland grinning down at them.

"I think that's my queue to leave," Emma whispered, giving Regina's hand a light squeeze.

Regina shook her head slowly, taking her hand from Emma's grasp to cup blushing cheeks before pulling the blonde in for a deep kiss, pouring all of her pent up feelings into it. Emma felt her knees weaken with the depth of the kiss. When Regina pulled back with an innocent smile, Emma could only stare at her with wide eyes before grinning dopily.

"Now you may leave, Miss Swan," Regina said with an amused glint in her eye.

Emma nodded as she fumbled for her keys in her pocket. Regina thumbed away a smudge of lipstick from the still grinning woman. As Emma turned to leave, she stopped.

"So, uh." She nervously shifted her weight from foot to foot, just like when she first walked into the house. "Would you be up for doing this again sometime? Maybe just the two of us?"

The amount of hope in Emma's gaze melted Regina's heart. She couldn't help but nod her answer to the question, not that she would've answered in the negative anyways.

"Great," Emma breathed. "I'll call you and we can set something up." She stole one last kiss before walking out the front door, practically skipping down the pathway to her car.

Regina shut the front door before leaning back against it, a grin seemingly having taken up permanent residence on her face. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had a second date with Emma. The blonde had been correct in her statement. That evening had been the best non-date ever.


	10. The Second Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of past miscarriage.

_She hadn't meant to fall asleep after her shower while waiting on him, but she had as she relaxed against the pillows, wrapped loosely in her robe. There had been a noise after a while, but she had only shifted and snuggled down against the mattress to get comfier. She felt a slight chill ghost across her naked skin as the robe began to part. One more readjustment of her body and the robe fell open completely. Shivering slightly, she blindly reached for the blanket when she felt the bed dip and a light scratchiness move across her belly. With eyes still closed, she smiled._

_"_ _I tried to wait up for you," she said softly, hand moving to the back of Daniel's head to play with his hair. There was a low chuckle as lips pressed against her skin just to the side of her navel._

_"_ _You know you don't have to wait up for me. I know our little one tires you out." Daniel pressed his unshaven cheek to her belly once more and nuzzled it, grinning when he felt the muscles contract and heard the giggle from above._

_He turned his head to look up at her, letting the other cheek rest against her warm skin. Regina had propped her head up on her other arm, looking down at him. His state of undress matched her own and she rolled her eyes playfully at the realization that he had been the one to untie her robe._

_"_ _I think that our little one just missed their Daddy," Regina said, watching as a grin instantly spread across Daniel's face._

_He moved from his spot at her side to lie between her parted legs, his face still even with her belly as he caressed the slight bump. Regina watched in awe as Daniel whispered his love to their unborn child, deciding at the last second to grab her phone and snap a quick picture as he planted one last kiss on the soft swell._

_"_ _While Daddy loves his buddy very much, he also loves Mommy just a little bit more." Daniel looked up at Regina as he said the last few words. "And he wants to show her just how much he loves her."_

_He began to move up her body, dropping kisses along the way as the woman giggled, watching his slow advances._

_"_ _This is how we got pregnant in the first place," she laughed, looking into his eyes as he finally hovered over her. She reached out to rest her hand on his hip, her thumb brushing back and forth._

_"_ _It's always good to stay in practice. You know, for next time."_

_Regina opened her mouth to make a remark when his lips covered her own. Suddenly she agreed with his proposal. Practice would indeed make perfect for the next time._

* * *

Regina sat cross-legged on her bed with the old box of photos sitting next to her. She stared down at the picture from so long ago and let her finger trace Daniel's features. It had been a while since she had pulled out the box and had been even longer since she had studied the picture that was currently in her hand.

When her and Robin had moved in together, she thought it would have been bad manners and poor taste to have so many pictures of her and Daniel around. So she had settled on just one; a simple selfie that they had taken one sunny afternoon. That had been the only one she hadn't packed away into the attic. Instead, that one had resided on one of the end tables in the living room, somewhere easy for Henry to reach in his younger years when he needed to see his father. But now that Robin was out of the house and had been for the last few months, Regina had taken the box down from the attic and had once again filled the walls with pictures of her first love.

In the midst of her redecorating, she hadn't removed all of the pictures from her and Robin's marriage. After all, Robin was Roland's father and the young boy deserved the same as Henry had at his age. Henry hadn't exactly agreed with the sentiment, claiming that his father had only died too soon while Robin was the asshole who cheated. After Regina had reprimanded him for his obscene language she had to admit to herself that he did have a point, but she refused to treat her boys any differently. And so the pictures of Robin had stayed on the walls as well.

A sudden vibration upon her thigh caused Regina to jump and drop the photograph on the bed. Placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart, she looked down to see Emma's name appear across the phone screen. Sliding her thumb across the glass, she lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Miss Swan."

"Oh, I love it when you talk all professional to me."

Regina couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's words. In the two weeks that had passed since their first date, the two women had talked nearly every night. It had made Regina feel young again, like how she had felt when she was with Daniel. Perhaps that was why she had pulled out the old box in the first place.

"Do you have a reason for calling, or did you just miss the sound of my voice?" Regina teased, leaning back and stretching out on the bed.

"Perhaps both," Emma replied. "But really, I miss you." Regina felt her stomach flip at the sincerity in Emma's voice. "I was actually calling to see if you were free tomorrow night so we can have that second date."

Regina bit her lip as she tried to remember her schedule for the next day. "I think my meetings finish around three. Then the boys are going over to Robin's for the weekend."

There was a short pause. "So you're free?"

"Yes, Emma," she said with a small laugh. "I'm free. So what do you have planned for this second date?"

"If I tell you that then it won't be a surprise, now will it?" It was Emma's turn to tease. "Don't worry. I have everything planned. You can expect me to pick you up around five."

"I'll be expecting you. Remember, Miss Swan, I like punctuality."

"Here we go again with the 'Miss Swan' thing. Is that like a kink for you?" Again, there was a pause as Regina gasped at the words. She had never been asked that before. "That was a very poor joke. I'm sorry."

Regina took a moment to collect herself. "No, it's fine, Emma." And really, it was. "I've just never had anyone say that to me before."

"Really?" Emma asked curiously. "So the prim and proper mayor has never been asked how she likes to get down and dirty?" Regina could hear the wicked grin in the blonde's voice and could only roll her eyes.

"We've talked about this before, Emma. Robin and I hadn't been physical for a while. And before that it had been…" She trailed off as she snapped her fingers, trying to think of the word. "What was it you had said? It had been fairly chocolate?"

The laughter that greeted her from the other end of the line let her know immediately that she had said the wrong word. She slumped down further on the bed with a pout as she waited for Emma to gather herself.

"The word you were looking for was vanilla," she said as her laughter finally got under control. "But you were close. I'll let it slide."

It was at times like this that Regina really felt their age gap. She couldn't even remember simple ice cream flavors to describe her past sex life while Emma was up to date with all the lingo of today's youth. She let out a small huff, not realizing that she had until Emma spoke up.

"Hey, you okay? Tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

Regina cracked a small smile at those words before a frown replaced it. "Do you think I'm too old for you?"

"I think you are just the right age for me," Emma said before continuing in a softer voice. "Babe, why would you ask that?"

The brunette ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "Because I am older than you, Emma. I'm older than you by eight years."

"So?"

"So? So! So that means…." Regina trailed off when she couldn't think of anything to further her argument.

"Uh huh. Exactly. You can't think of a reason because there is no reason."

"But you use all of those terms that the kids use."

"If Henry uses vanilla to talk about anything other than ice cream, I would be concerned."

"Emma!"

"I know what you are saying," Emma laughed. "Don't worry about it. I can teach you. It's what I do for a living."

"You teach math and coach baseball," Regina said, a hint of a snort evident.

"I can still teach you other things."

"Like how to not be vanilla?"

Regina was sure that she had stunned Emma with her last remark. To be honest, she had shocked herself when it had popped into her head. Yet she had said it anyways.

There was the sound of Emma clearing her throat on the other end. "I mean, if that is something you would like, then yes. I might be able to teach you that."

Regina felt her cheeks heat up with a blush. Now she definitely didn't feel her thirty-six years. She felt seventeen again. "Well then. I look forward to our lessons. And our date tomorrow night. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Emma. Good night."

[SQ]

Emma was always thankful for Fridays and she enjoyed them even more when her boys didn't have a game on the Thursday before, Just like this week had turned out. Fridays always meant no practice, allowing the team to start their weekend as soon as the bell dismissed them. This particular Friday, Emma was also thankful that her coworker's husband had allowed her to borrow his truck for her upcoming date. It allowed her to start setting everything up as soon as the last of her class left the room. Unfortunately, it had taken her longer than she had anticipated setting up and she found herself rushing to make it to the mayor's house on time.

She pulled up behind an unfamiliar vehicle and killed the engine, wondering if it was Ruby or Kathryn that had dropped by for a small gossip session. Regina had once mentioned how the two women were prone to doing that.

As she walked up to the front door, she could hear muffled arguing and instantly knew that something wasn't quite right. Instead of knocking, she twisted the knob and opened the door, the muffled arguing now sounding much clearer. The first voice she heard was Henry's. Then an older, deeper voice met her ears and she knew that the vehicle out front belonged to Robin and not one of Regina's friends. She followed the voices to the living room.

Robin stood against the right wall, his back towards the entrance way where Emma stood looking into the room. Henry stood next to the fireplace away from Robin. Regina was between the two, facing Robin as Emma stood looking into the room. She tried to calm the man down.

"I'm not going to your house while _she_ is there!" Henry spat, disgust evident on his face.

"It's her house, too, Henry. I can't tell her to not be there!"

"I'm not going. And I'm not going to be a part of your wedding either. I don't want anything to do with you!"

Henry moved away from the fireplace quickly, passing Emma without a second glance as he ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door loudly. Regina sighed, one hand on her hip and the other running through her hair.

"He is just going to have to get used to it," Robin told Regina, making the brunette's head whip around to him.

"Why do you keep forcing this upon him? You are the one making him rebel, Robin."

"I'm not making him to anything."

"Yes you are!" Regina shouted, startling herself and everyone else in the room as she did so. "Robin, if you keep this up then I fear you won't have any relationship left with your son."

Emma turned her attention away from the arguing adults when she felt a small tug on her shirt. She looked down to see Roland gazing up at her with wide eyes.

"Does this mean that I can't go with my daddy?" he whispered. The sad look in his eyes nearly broke Emma's heart. Taking his hand in her own, she led him to the foot of the stairs and sat down with him. "I really want to go with my daddy."

"You can still go with him. I just don't think that Henry is going to be going with you." Emma tried her best to say positive for the young boy.

"Henry doesn't like going to Daddy's when 'Lena is there. He said it's her fault that Mommy and Daddy don't live together anymore."

Emma really couldn't argue with that. The teenager wasn't entirely wrong. But she knew that she couldn't tell that to Roland.

"You know how mommies and daddies love each other very much and that is how babies are made?" she began. Roland nodded his understanding. "Well, sometimes mommies and daddies fall out of love with each other and when that happens, they can't live in the same house anymore."

"Like my mommy and daddy?"

Emma nodded. "Just like your mommy and daddy. Any sometimes mommies and daddies find new people to love. Your daddy found Zelena to love."

"And Mommy found you!" Roland looked up at Emma with an instant grin. She put her arm around him and laughed, pulling him closer for a side hug.

"Something like that. But sometimes when parents find other people to love and have babies with, their kids don't like that too much. And that is why Henry gets angry when Zelena is around."

"But 'Lena is nice to us. Daddy said all she wants to do is love us and we just have to let her."

"Your dad is right. All you have to do is let her love you. How cool is it that once your dad gets married, you'll have two mommies to love you."

Roland seemed to think it over for a minute before nodding. "Mommy gives the best good night snuggles and bed time stories. 'Lena isn't so good, though."

Emma chuckled again. "That's because Zelena hasn't had a lot of practice. Your mommy had practice with Henry before you came around. Now Zelena has to practice with you before the baby gets here. That way she can be good at it for the baby."

"So I'm helping her learn how to be a good mommy?"

"You sure are. Doesn't that make you feel good?"

Roland nodded before he threw both arms around Emma and squeezed as hard as his little body would allow. Emma returned the hug with a smile.

"Thank you, Miss Emma. I'm going to be a good big brother and help 'Lena."

The clearing of a throat made both Emma and Roland look up. Robin as standing there with Roland's bag in his hand, looking a bit awkward. "Go put your bag in the car, Roland. I'll be outside in a minute."

Roland jumped up and hugged his mom before grabbing his bag and running out to the car. Emma stood up, shoving her hands in her pockets. Robin turned to face her, taking a deep breath before extending his hand. Emma eyed it for a second before cautiously reaching out to clasp it in a handshake.

"I may have had the wrong idea about you, Swan. Seeing you talk with Roland like that made me see that maybe you aren't so bad."

Emma just nodded, leaving it at that. She felt that it wasn't really Robin's place to say what he did about her, but she also knew that it meant a great deal for the man to give his approval of her. Robin let go of her hand and walked out the house, closing the door behind him. Regina stepped out into the foyer, two fingers pressed to her left temple as she willed the stress headache to go away.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked, looking at Emma with an apologetic expression.

"I came in right around when Henry stormed off. Then Roland tugged on my shirt and we came sit on the stairs to talk."

"I heard you talking to him. You explained everything really well."

Emma shrugged as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "It was nothing. Just something I learned back in college when I took adolescent psychology."

Emma smiled softly when she felt Regina reach out and grab her hands, bringing them up to plant a small kiss on the knuckles.

"I really appreciate it," the brunette said with complete sincerity. "But I fear we may have to cancel our date for tonight."

"No you don't!" Both women looked up at the unexpected voice to see Henry leaning over the banister looking down at them. "You can still go on the date. I can stay here."

Regina opened her mouth to say something, but Emma gave her hands a small squeeze to get her attention. She looked away from her son and back at the blonde.

"I have an idea. I can go get everything and just set it up in the backyard."

"I can help with that!" Henry chimed back in. He quickly moved down the stairs to appear at Emma's side.

Regina alternated her gaze between the blonde woman and the lanky teen standing beside her. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Not really." Emma leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek. "We'll be back soon. Go change out of your fancy Mayor clothes and into something more comfy while we are gone."

With that said, Emma and Henry moved from the house to the borrowed truck quickly, both determined to still make the date happen.

[SQ]

The last time Regina remembered being this nervous for a date had been when she was fifteen and Daniel had asked her to go to the movies with him. And just like she had done then, she paced the length of her room as she waited for her cue to go downstairs. Back then it had been her mother calling her name from the foot of the stairs. Now it would be Henry knocking on her door. She took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it, in hopes of calming her racing heart.

The minutes felt like they had turned into hours. Regina stood in front of her full-bodied mirror and scrutinized her image once more. She didn't own much in the way of comfy clothes. Not anymore, at least. But in the depths of the closet she had managed to find an old t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants that had been a gift from Ruby a few years prior. Perhaps it was too comfy, she thought as she played with the hem of the shirt. Maybe she should change. Her motions were stopped by a knock on the door and Henry's face peeking in.

"You can come downstairs now."

Regina hesitated for a moment before her confidence came back to her. This was something she wanted, and she was going to go after it and enjoy every bit of it. Taking one last breath, she followed her son downstairs. He gestured for her to head out the backdoor into the yard, saying that Emma was waiting for her out there.

She didn't know what to expect when she stepped foot into the backyard, but she knew it hadn't been this. A small multitude of pillows had been arranged on a blanket just a few feet away from the patio. An ice chest rested next to the makeshift nest with a few candles nestled in small jars surrounded the area.

"It was supposed to be a small fire in a clearing by the woods. I improvised." Emma walked up behind Regina, offering her a wineglass filled with a dark liquid before sipping from her matching glass.

"Emma, it's wine!" Regina gasped, reaching for the one Emma was holding instead of the one being offered to her. She cared for the blonde too much to let her throw away her sobriety. Emma shook her head with a laugh, re-offering the glass to Regina. The brunette took it with a skeptical look before taking a sip. "Grape juice?"

"Alcohol-free wine," Emma corrected with a grin. "I told you to trust me. I've thought everything out."

She gestured to the nest of pillows before taking Regina's hand and walking over to it. They settled down comfortably, both women laying back and looking up at the night sky.

"How long have you been planning this?" Regina asked.

"Since I realized that I had a chance with you."

Regina turned her head to show Emma her raised eyebrow. The blonde woman grinned innocently. With a roll of her eyes, Regina took a sip of the juice and set the glass off to the side, rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her elbow.

"Tell me something about yourself that I don't know."

Emma mirrored Regina's position, letting her eyes trail over the woman before her before thinking of something to say.

"Hmm. Well, we talked pretty deep at the pizza place after the first baseball game. Let's see what I can come up with." She wet her lips with a taste of juice. "I used to be a foster kid. I was with my last family until I aged out of the system. They never adopted me, but they are the closest I've had to a real family."

Regina was shocked. Of all the things that she had expected Emma to say, that definitely wasn't on the list. She looked up at her green-eyed blonde who just smiled back at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"It's okay. I found a family who showed me what love felt like, what it's like to be part of a family. Now I know what to look for to have my own." Emma tilted her glass towards Regina. "Your turn."

Regina bit her lip as she thought. There had indeed been a great deal that she had already shared with Emma. But there was one thing that she hadn't shared. The one thing that she never really talked about. But this was Emma, someone she could trust and who cared about her just as much as she cared about them.

"Do you remember when we first talked after the baseball game? How you told me about Lily and I talked about losing Daniel?" Emma nodded, staying quiet. "And how I said there had been another day equally as bad, but I wasn't ready to talk about it?" Emma nodded again, reaching out to link their fingers together, giving a small squeeze of encouragement. Regina looked down and felt a small smile tug at her lips from Emma's gesture. She knew she could trust the blonde.

"If it's too much, you don't have to tell me," Emma said softly.

Regina shook her head, looking back up at Emma. "No. I want to tell you. I… Three years ago, I was pregnant.  I wasn't far enough along to know the gender but was far enough along to be attached.  Robin was convinced it was going to be a girl."  She let out a small half laugh as she remembered how excited Robin had been, averting her eyes as she did so.  "The doctor didn't know what happened to cause the miscarriage.  Just a freak accident of nature, he said.  That these things just sometimes happen."  

There. She had said it. With a sigh, she dropped her head to look down at the blanket. She felt Emma squeeze her hand gently.

"I know," came the soft whisper.

Regina's head shot up, eyebrows furrowed together. "What? How?"

Emma ran her thumb over the top of Regina's hand. "Townspeople talk. I overheard someone say that you used to be a nice mayor until it happened. After that, you turned a bit to the dark side."

The brunette bit her bottom lip. It wasn't exactly a lie. She had been a cheery mayor in the beginning. But after that day, that dreadful day that her life changed, she had sealed away her cheerfulness, reserving it only for her children and sometimes Robin.

"But you want to know what else I heard?" Emma asked, bringing Regina back to the moment. The brunette nodded slightly. "I heard that ever since the mayor started seeing the sexy baseball coach, she started to warm up a little bit."

"Sexy baseball coach?" Regina raised a brow.

Emma grinned, finally setting down her wineglass and scooting closer to Regina. "Yeah. You know that one. Tall, athletic, and blonde. Has a scar on her right shoulder. Drives a bright yellow death trap."

As Emma spoke, she steadily moved closer to Regina. The brunette giggled more with each inch Emma would move closer to her, trying to back away slightly before she rolled over onto her back. Emma took the opportunity and threw her leg over Regina, grinning down at the woman she now straddled.

"Sounds to me like this baseball coach is a good looking person with a poor taste in vehicles," Regina smirked, looking up at Emma.

"She might be. But you see, she is totally crazy for the mayor. It's a lost cause, really." She punctuated the last sentence with a shrug.

"Maybe it's a lost cause for the mayor, too," Regina said as she reached up to tangle her fingers in Emma's hair and pull her down for a kiss.

Emma went willingly, bracing one hand beside Regina's head to hold herself up while the other caressed a tan cheek, quickly moving to cup her neck as their lips parted and the kiss grew deeper. Emma groaned softly when Regina bit at her bottom lip, the groan soon fading to a whimper as the brunette's tongue darted out to sooth the abused flesh.

Regina felt her body responding to the depth of the kiss, felt it coming alive for the first time in years. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt like this, but she did know that it felt like this with Daniel all the time and rarely with Robin. Regina gasped as a small gust of cold wind blew and danced across her flesh. She then gasped as she felt Emma's hand at the waistband of her pants, slowly making its way under the fabric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me.


	11. Office Meetings

The dark sky lit up as a flash of lightning streaked across the darkness, illuminating everything it overshadowed. The loud rumble of thunder is what broke the women of their kiss. It was the picking up of the wind and the almost instantaneous downpour of rain that had them scrambling from the ground and desperately trying to gather the linens to take inside. One by one, the candles began to extinguish under the onslaught of the falling water.

Emma was the first to make her way back into the house, Regina following behind carrying the sheets. A stray corner fell from her grasp and dragged along the floor. Regina stepped on the corner, the tension tightening and the sudden obstruction causing her to trip and stumble forward. Emma dropped the pillows that she had been carrying to reach out and catch Regina before the brunette woman ended up on the floor.

"Looks like you are falling for me," Emma said with a serious face. The façade quickly fell and the blonde dissolved into laughter before Regina, too, began to laugh at the corny joke.

"I believe I already have," she said with a smile, lifting her head to kiss Emma softly. She untangled her foot from the twisted sheet before pulling away from Emma and looking the blonde up and down. "I have some clothes that you can change into, if you would like. That way I can dry what you have on."

Emma nodded, watching as Regina turned to walk into the laundry room. She returned wearing a different set of clothes, having changed while she was looking for something for Emma to wear. She handed the blonde a pair of sweatpants and one of Henry's shirts that she knew Emma would be able to fit in. What she was not expecting was for Emma to begin pulling off her drenched clothing right there in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?! Henry could walk in and see you."

Emma laughed. "No he won't. He isn't even here. I gave him a few bucks and told him to go hang out at the arcade for a few hours." She stepped out of her wet jeans and set them on the counter, grabbing the sweatpants to put on first.

"Oh," was all Regina could say, too busy watching Emma change in her kitchen.

Brown eyes raked over the blonde's body, taking in her muscular looking legs and the slight definition of her abs as she moved. Regina noticed the way the blonde locks fell across Emma's back and the way the old scar came up over her shoulder and stopped just above her armpit.

"Is that from your injury?" Regina asked, reaching out to run her finger over the slightly puckered flesh.

Emma shivered at the touch, looking down at the contrasting tan finger ghosting across her pale skin. "Yeah. It was pretty bad. I tore a bunch of stuff." As she spoke, she watched Regina lean forward and placed her lips upon the mark. Emma smiled at the intimate gesture and pulled the shirt over her head. "So, about what just happened outside…. I'm sorry about that."

Regina could help but chuckle at Emma's apology, watching the embarrassment wash over the woman. "It's alright, Emma. I have a feeling we would be doing something entirely different if the rain hadn't caught us. But," She trailed off for a moment biting her lip. "It'd like to wait a little longer before we take that step in our relationship."

"Oh, so we have a relationship?" Emma teased. The look she got in response made her laugh. She reached out and pulled Regina into her arms, holding her close and kissing the side of her head. "I will wait for however long it takes for you to be comfortable with this going any further. Then I can help you become less vanilla and a bit more strawberry swirl with hot fudge and sprinkles."

Regina playfully hit Emma in the arm before walking away to put their clothes drying. Afterwards, the two women retired to the living room, settling on snuggling up together on the couch and watching a movie to finish off their date. They were in the same position an hour later when Henry returned home. The teen grabbed the throw blanket off the back of the couch and covered the two women before heading up to bed himself.

[SQ]

It had been five days since their rained upon date and Regina was still feeling the high that the evening had given her. Gone were the feelings of not being good enough that had plagued her for the last few months and in its place now sat the feeling of belonging, something she hadn't felt in its full capacity since Daniel's passing. She had loved Robin, there was no denying it, but it hadn't felt like it had with Daniel. And now with Emma she was realizing the strength of her feelings, feeling that pull once again, and it absolutely thrilled her. Nothing would dampen her good mood.

The intercom on her desk buzzed before the voice of her secretary filtered through. "Madame Mayor, Mr. Locksley is here to speak with you."

Regina inwardly groaned at the words. Okay, something could, in fact, dampen her mood and that something was just on the other side of her office door. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she pressed the button and spoke. "Send him in."

When the first knock sounded upon the door, Regina dropped her hand and sat up straighter in her chair. Robin was not someone she particularly wanted to see and she would not greet him as such. When the door finally opened and he stepped inside, she held her head just a bit higher and gave him an even look.

"What brings you here, Robin?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He moved to the chairs in front of her desk before taking a seat, crossing his legs and resting his hands atop his knee.

Regina's eyes were instantly drawn to the simple band that now adorned the fourth finger on his left hand. "I see you have gone through with your marriage."

Robin glanced down at the wedding band and smiled. "We decided to do something small, just a meeting with the Justice of the Peace. I'm tired of arguing with Henry about it and since he has been adamant about not wanting to be involved…" He waved his hand around in a gesture to end his statement.

Regina nodded. "I think that was very wise of you. But I take it that was not what you wanted to talk about?"

"No, not really," he said with a small chuckle. "Henry's game this weekend is a big one."

"I'm aware. It's all he's been talking about for the past two weeks."

"I want to attend." Robin swallowed as he waited for Regina's response.

The brunette woman drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair as she thought about Robin's request. It felt like this was the first time that they had actually sat and discussed things in a civilized manner without arguing since they sat across the table from each other to discuss the conditions of their divorce. It felt nice to be having a decent conversation for once.

"I'm tired of all the arguing," she began. "Between us and between you and Henry. I do not mind if you attend the game. In fact, I don't mind us coming together to parent our boys. But this is something you need to talk about with Henry instead of me."

Robin nodded his understanding. Regina was right. They were old enough to set their differences aside and come together for the sake of their children. "Alright. I'll come by the house this afternoon and talk with him."

"Come after dinner. He's been staying late at practice so Emma can help him get ready for the game." She couldn't stop the small smile from forming when she said Emma's name.

Robin watched the faint blush color his ex-wife's cheeks when she mentioned their son's baseball coach. It had been a while since he had last seen her with that small twinkle in her eyes.

"You and Emma, it's getting pretty serious, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly at first, a bit unsure about admitting it to Robin. But Henry's words of her deserving happiness rang in her ears and she nodded more surely. "Yes. I would say that it is."

Robin leaned forward, reaching across the desk to place his hand over Regina's, offering a genuine smile when she looks up at him confused. "I'm happy for you, Regina. You deserve this happiness, especially after all that I put you through."

Regina gave him a tight lipped smile before she withdrew her hand. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was sincere in his words, but that didn't stop the sting she felt when she recalled exactly what he had done. "Yes, well," She cleared her throat. "If that will be all, I have work to get to."

Robin stood, knowing that Regina was trying to be polite about dismissing him. He bid her a good day before exiting the office, the door clicking shut behind him. When he turned, he was face to face with Emma.

"Oh!" she gasped, quickly taking a step back so they wouldn't collide. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be coming out of the office. Regina said her schedule was clear all morning."

Robin shook his head as he took a step to the side. "I just stopped by to talk with her about something."

"Ah, okay."

Awkward silence hung between the two individuals. Emma began to rock back and forth on her feet as she watched Robin. He had a look on his face like he wanted to say something but was unsure of himself.

"I haven't seen that light in her eyes in a long time," he finally said. Emma stopped rocking and put all her focus into listening to what Robin had to say. "She's been through so much in her life, a lot of it bad and some of it my fault. But she still deserves the world." He looked at Emma, holding her gaze. "Give her that world, Emma. Make her happy, because I surely couldn't."

Emma was taken aback by his words. That was not what she was expecting. This was definitely a different man than the one she had met last time she had paid a visit to the Mayor's office. Unlike the man from before, this one was calm and collected and seemed to have accepting his ex-wife's choices. Not that he had any right to not accept them as he had made questionable choices himself.

"I plan on it," she said softly. She couldn't help but smile when Robin clapped her on the shoulder and gave it a small squeeze before finally taking his leave.

Emma watched him walk down the hallway before she entered the office. Regina looked up from the papers she was signing and dropped the pen, rising to her feet instantly. As she moved around the desk and towards the blonde, Emma saw the light in her eyes that Robin had mentioned.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, because I am, but shouldn't you be at the school?" Regina asked as she greeted Emma with a quick peck to the lips. The blonde drew her back in for a lengthier hello kiss before letting Regina pull back with a smile. It surprised her how natural it felt to be with Emma, especially since she had never entertained the idea of being with a woman.

"I had a meeting today about the game this Saturday so they called in a substitute for my classes. I'll be back for practice this afternoon."

"So you have the rest of the day free?"

Emma nodded, watching Regina walk back to her desk. The brunette's hand bumped against a canister and paperclips fell from the desk, scattering on the floor. She let out a low curse before bending to pick up the mess. Emma's eyes were instantly drawn to the mayor's backside, watching as the material of the pencil skirt stretched over the firm looking muscles. She bit her lip to stifle a soft groan as Regina straightened and turned to look back at her.

"Did you say something dea-"

Before she could finish the question, Emma had her pressed back against the desk, the edge digging into the back of her thighs as Emma's lips pressed against her own. She relaxed into the kiss instantly, her hands moving to cup the back of Emma's neck as the blonde kissed her hungrily.

Emma nipped at the red painted bottom lip, her teeth digging into the plump flesh before her tongue flicked out to sooth that which she was sure that she had just bruised. Her hands moved up Regina's legs, pushing the skirt up as her fingers inched higher up stocking clad thighs. She moaned softly as her lips parted and Regina's tongue snaked its way in just as her fingers found the edge of the stockings and began tracing along the strap of the garter belt. Leaning forward, she pressed her knee between the brunette's legs.

Regina let out a gasp as she pulled away from the kiss, Emma's lips moving to suck at her pulse point as her hips moved of their own accord to grind down against Emma's jean clad thigh. The rough material of the jeans gave her just enough friction to send shocks of sensations through her core. It had been so long since someone else had caused her arousal that her body forgot how to act. But damn, it felt so good, yet they couldn't do anything there, not in her office.

With a great deal of reluctance, she pressed her palms against Emma's shoulders and gently pushed. The blonde immediately took a step back, her face flushed with shame.

"I'm sorry, Regina. You said you wanted to wait and I wasn't respecting that."

"No, Emma, it's alright." Regina moved away from the desk and tugged at the hem of her skirt to get it back in place. "I'm not mad at you." She laughed lightly as she stepped forward and thumbed away lipstick that had smeared across Emma's mouth. "I was rather caught up myself. But we can't do anything in my office."

Emma smiled before catching Regina's thumb between her teeth as it made another pass and playfully bit it. Regina rolled her eyes as she withdrew her thumb, not missing the pout that Emma sent her way as she did so.

"I really need to get back to work," she said, casting a glance at her disheveled desk.

"Let me make that up to you," Emma offered, her eyes lingering on the mess she had made. "Let me cook for you. Perhaps Sunday night at my place?"

Regina nodded instantly. "I would like that. After your team wins Saturday night?"

Emma grinned innocently. "Perhaps. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I am feeling pretty confident that the boys are going to win."

"Then you better go practice with them to make that a guarantee. Now go." She swatted Emma's backside, laughing at the blonde winked at her. Just as she was about to step out the door, Regina called out to her one last time. Emma stopped with her body out the door but her head still poking in.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I thought I already was." Emma blew Regina a kiss before she shut the door behind her.

Regina felt her heart swell at the blonde's words and she couldn't help but laugh with joy. Laughter. That was something that the walls of her office hadn't heard in quite a while.


	12. Oh Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update for all you lovlies who are following the story. So if you haven't read the chapter before this, I suggest you run there now.

"I have to do what, now?"

When Regina had met up with Kathryn and Ruby the following Friday night she had expected to be harassed about when her and Emma would be going on another date. She had expected squeals of delight accompanied with laughter and good adult beverages. What she had not expected was for Ruby to drag her into the living room and pull out an incredibly well drawn diagram of a woman's most intimate area. Regina had blushed profusely, turning to Kathryn for help only for the blonde to point at the diagram and tell her, "Pay attention. Ruby knows what she's talking about."

Regina had gulped down half of her drink, wincing as the alcohol burned her throat. Ruby began the lesson by explaining that Regina would soon be going on her third date with Emma and that third dates usually ended with intercourse. Regina wanted to crawl in a hole and hide away from her friends. Ruby then began to point out clearly labeled areas on the diagram and explain the uses and functions of each. It was her last statement of the lecture that had led to Regina's outburst.

Ruby rolled her eyes as she set her own drink down in order to demonstrate for her friend. "Just curl to hit the g-spot and tongue the clit. It's really not that hard." Ruby held up her index and middle finger, curling them in a 'come here' motion to show Regina.

"It was a mistake to ever let you two in on my personal life," Regina muttered. Her face still felt warm from embarrassment, yet Ruby and Kathryn were both calm and collected.

"We just want you to be prepared," Kathryn explained, setting a hand on Regina's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We know that this is all new to you and we don't want you to freeze up in the middle of the moment."

"Yeah, like that one did," Ruby said as she lifted her drink and tilted it towards Kathryn. "She was eager to get down there but just stared at it until I asked what was wrong." Ruby quickly ducked to avoid being hit with the pillow Kathryn had launched at her. "But now she is way better at it. If I let her, she could stay eating-"

"Ruby!" Regina and Kathryn shouted in unison, the former looking like the wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole while the latter was glaring daggers.

"Right. Too much information. Sorry. I'll just go get us some fresh drinks."

Kathryn sighed as Ruby walked out of the living room. "I love her, but sometimes I just want to cover her mouth with tape."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you covered her mouth with something else."

Kathryn choked on her drink, coughing as she covered her mouth. "Regina Mills, did you just make a lesbian joke?"

Regina simply lifted both eyebrows, quickly bringing her drink to her lips to hide the smirk that was forming. Kathryn reached out and pushed her friend playfully. Regina cleared her throat as she set her drink down. "But seriously, does that really work?"

"Now why would I lie to you?" Ruby asked as she walked back into the living room and handed Kathryn a fresh drink. "Just think back to what you've had done to you and imitate it."

"It's been a long time since I've experienced that."

"What, three years? That's not that long."

"No, Ruby. It's been longer than that. Robin was very…plain."

"You mean to tell me that you haven't had good sex since before Henry was born?"

"I never said that!" Regina defended. "Just because it wasn't exotic doesn't mean that it wasn't good."

Both Ruby and Kathryn pinned Regina with a skeptical look.

"When was the last time you had an orgasm?" Kathryn asked. When Regina opened her mouth to respond, the blonde help up a finger to halt her. "I don't mean one of those half-assed ones just to get the job done. I'm talking about a curl your toes, break your back kind of orgasm. And not one that you caused yourself."

With mouth still open, Regina wracked her rain trying to remember the last time. Her eyes dared left and right, Kathryn raising her brow at how long it was taking. Regina shut her mouth, looking away from her friends.

"It's been a while," she finally conceded.

"Perhaps you should let Emma go first, then just mirror what she does," Ruby suggested.

Regina thought about it, nodding at how logical it sounded. She stopped mid nod, eyes narrowing at the pair. "Wait a second. Who says we are ever going to get to that step on the date? Maybe it will just be a nice dinner and nothing more."

"Do you want it to be more?" Kathryn asked.

Regina stood abruptly. "I need to get home. Henry needs his uniform washed for the game tomorrow." She gathered her things, calling out a fair well over her shoulder as she left quickly. Ruby and Kathryn grinned at each other, Regina's hasty departure telling them everything the brunette had left unsaid.

[SQ]

On Saturday morning, Regina found herself standing outside of Emma's apartment, staring at the wooden door. She wasn't quite sure was she was doing there, but once Robin had picked up both of the boys to head down to the baseball field early, she found herself making her way to Emma's building. Taking a breath, she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles against the door three times in quick succession. There was a rhythmic thumping sound coming from beyond the door before the lock clicked and the door was opened.

"Gina?" Emma asked in shock, not expecting to see the brunette on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh…" She laughed a bit nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Robin picked up the boys and went to the field early. Next thing I know I'm knocking on your door."

Emma bit her lip to keep herself from smiling at the flustered brunette. Stepping aside, she gestured for Regina to enter the apartment before shutting the door behind her.

"I'm almost done getting ready." Emma walked into the small bathroom and picked up the toothbrush as Regina leaned against the door frame, folding her arms across her chest as she watched the blonde finish her morning routine. "Can you grab my cap and sunglasses? They should be in my bedside drawer. My watch should be in there, too," she asked after spitting out the toothpaste and wiping her mouth before reaching for her Coach's shirt.

Regina nodded and walked across the hall and through the open door into Emma's bedroom. It was simply decorated with the bed in the middle of the room. She made her way over to the bedside table and opened the top drawer. A gasp left her lips as she studied the contents.

"Oh my," she breathed as Emma walked up behind her.

"Oh my, what?" she chuckled, looking over Regina's shoulder. Her eyes grew wide and her chuckling ceased immediately. "Oh."

Both women were peering down into the drawer, but their eyes were not focusing on the old baseball cap with the watch and aviators sitting within. Instead, their eyes were locked on to the light blue strap-on that rested just beside it. After a few moments of neither one of them moving, Emma cleared her throat awkwardly and reached around Regina to grab the cap and shut the drawer.

"Sorry about that. I forgot it was in there," Emma quietly apologized, her face turning deeper shades of red by the second.

Regina turned to face Emma, her own face equally as red. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing would come out.

"You want to head down to the baseball field?" Emma offered, hiking her thumb over her shoulder. "We can ride together."

Regina just nodded and followed Emma out of the apartment and into the yellow bug that she loved to tease. The ride to the field was unusually quiet. Emma drummed her fingers against the steering wheel, glancing sideways at Regina every few minutes. The brunette was fidgeting with her fingernails as she looked out the passenger side window.

"You want to talk about it?" Emma asked, Regina's uncomfiness not sitting well with her.

Regina opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it once more. "I know I'm fairly new to the whole…" She waved her hands around as she tried to find the right word. It was difficult considering she didn't want to put a label on herself. "Not straight lifestyle?" she tried, but just shook her head. It wasn't what she was going for, but it would have to do. "Is that something you use regularly?"

Emma shook her head with a small laugh. "No. I haven't used that one at all, actually. I had bought it when I was still dating Lily, but it never got used. When I moved here, I just stuck it in the drawer and forgot about it." She glanced over at Regina once more. "Why? Is it something you would be interested in?"

Regina chewed the inside of her lip. Were they really going to have this conversation in the car? What was she supposed to say? The truth, she decided. Good relationships were based on honesty.

"I mean, it is the appendage I'm more familiar with," she began. Emma let out a small snort beside her. "Even though we haven't gotten there yet, all of this is still new to me. I'd like to experience it one step at a time. So, not in the beginning, but maybe eventually?" She chanced a glance over at Emma.

The blonde was trying her hardest to hold back a smirk. Instead, she nodded and focused on the driving.

"You know we can take this as slow as you want, right? I'd never ask you to do anything you weren't completely comfortable with." She reached across the gear shift and let her hand rest atop Regina's. "I care about you."

Regina turned her hand so that it was palm to palm with Emma's, lacing their fingers together. "I care about you, too."

Emma grinned as she pulled into the parking lot of the baseball field. She leaned across the console as soon as she parked and kissed Regina's cheek. Regina smiled and turned to look at Emma, who then planted a kiss on her lips.

"If you keep this up you'll never make it onto the field," Regina laughed.

One more quick kiss and the two women exited the vehicle. Regina went over to meet up with Robin and Roland. She even managed a smile for Zelena. Meanwhile, Emma was down on the field, talking her team and taking account of all of the boys. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Where's Henry?" she asked, counting over the boys once more.

"I saw him walk around behind the equipment shed." Nick supplied with a smirk. A few of the other boys began to snicker.

Emma raised a brow at the group of boys before turning slowly and walking towards the equipment shed. Trying the door first, she found the padlock was still in place and said a silent thank you that Henry wasn't hiding in there. A soft _thump_ caught her attention and she quietly made her way around the building.

Henry was exactly where his teammates had said he would be. What Nick failed to mention was that Henry did not venture there alone. Apparently the noise Emma had heard had been when Henry had pushed the girl, who Emma recognized as Violet, up against the shed before the two began to make out heavily.

Emma cleared her throat loudly just as Henry's hands began to make it towards second base, watching as the two teenagers quickly sprang apart and looked at her guiltily.

"Violet, why don't you go find a place to sit in the stands. The game is going to start soon." Emma jerked her head to the side, indicating which way the girl should go. With a quick nod, Violet hurried away. Emma then turned to Henry, raising a brow at him.

"She was just wishing me good luck?" he tried, giving Emma a sheepish grin.

Emma shook her head with a small laugh. "As your coach, I should scold you. But as your mom's girlfriend, I say good job." She gave Henry a wink as they began to walk back to the field. "But really, kid. Behind the equipment shed?"


	13. Big Game, Big Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last quick chapter update for a while. I was transferring from ff.net and am all caught up now. So just keep an eye out for updates. They may be slow, but I can assure you that they are coming.

The crowd was astonishingly quiet. All eyes focused on the pitcher of the opposing team as the boy kicked at the dirt of the pitcher's mound. One of the Storybrooke boys, whom Regina easily recognized as Felix, took his spot at home plate, bat raised and ready to go. The two teams had been neck and neck since the first pitch of the game. Every play counted, now more than ever since it was the championship.

The pitcher focused on Felix, eyes barely blinking as he winded up and threw the ball with all of his might. The satisfying sound of the crack of the bat as it hit the ball filled the air. Everyone in the crowd jumped to their feet, shouting cheers as Felix raced around the bases, and stopping on second as the ball was thrown back.

"That was a great hit," Robin said as he sat back down. His left hand instantly reached out to sit at the small of Zelena's back. The young red haired woman shifted uncomfortably and rubbed a hand over her large belly. Robin looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

Zelena forced a small smile, nodding. "I'll be fine. Just sitting on the bleachers combined with our little one moving around a lot today has me a bit uncomfortable. Nothing to worry about."

Robin eyed her a bit skeptically, but when she patted his thigh he turned his attention back to the game. Regine leaned forward to look past Robin at his new wife. She had noticed the small puddle at the woman's feet when the crowd had erupted earlier.

"It looks like your drink spilled when you stood to cheer. I'm going get Roland a hotdog. Would you like me to get you another lemon lime Powerade?"

Ever since Regina had overheard the talk that Emma had with Roland at the foot of the stairs, she had tried her hardest to hate the red-haired woman a little less than she already did. When she finally realized that Zelena was trying her best with the whole situation and that the poor woman really hadn't known that Robin was married when they started sleeping together, it made it a bit easier.

Once Zelena nodded and thanked Regina for getting her a new drink, she turned back to focus on the game. Storybrooke was up by one run for the time being, but there was still five innings to go. As the game progressed, Regina kept glancing over at Zelena. Robin was oblivious to what was happening, choosing to take Zelena's words to heart that nothing was wrong and that she would be fine. But from the way the woman kept shifted to the way she would wince and rub her stomach, Regina knew.

It was at the start of the seventh inning when Zelena suddenly gasped and gripped Robin's thigh tightly. He looked at her with wide eyes, waiting for an explanation. "The baby is coming."

"What?" His voice was nothing but confusion. "No you aren't. You're water didn't break." Regina rolled her eyes behind him.

Zelena nodded her head quickly. "Yes, it did. That wasn't my drink that spilled." Her fingers dug into his thigh more as another wave of pain washed over her. "I didn't want to say anything earlier because it's a big day for Henry. We should all be here for him. But I don't think I can wait any longer."

Regina's ears perked up. That was really thoughtful of Zelena. Maybe she could help the poor woman out. "What are you feeling right now?" she asked, digging her phone out of her purse to alert Emma to what was happening via text.

"I'm feeling a lot of pressure. Like I have to go to the bathroom."

Regina fingers moved faster across the keys, her eyes glancing up at the blonde down on the field as soon as she pressed send. She watched the smile bloom on Emma's face when she checked the message, and Regina watched that same smile quickly fade away as the message was read. Emma lifted her hand, beckoning Regina to do as she said she would in the message.

Regina turned to her younger son that was still completely absorbed in the game to know what was going on around him. "Roland, I want you to go down there and sit with Emma in the dugout."

"Why?"

"I have to go run an errand with your dad and Zelena. When the game is over, Emma is going to bring you and Henry meet us. That way you don't miss the game. How does that sound?"

Roland tilted his head side to side in thought. "Okay. And I'll be able to see the game closer!"

"That you will." Regina said with a smile. She watched Roland make his way down the bleachers and to Emma's side before blowing the blonde a subtle kiss and heading to the car where Robin had already taken Zelena.

"Robin, you drive. I'll stay with her in the backseat," she said as she tossed her purse into the front seat and climbed into the back with Zelena.

Zelena let out a low groan as she held her stomach. "It hurts so much! Why does it hurt?!"

"Physics," Regina deadpanned, wanting to roll her eyes at the woman. "Big head, little hole."

Zelena tried her hardest to glare at Regina, but failed miserably. "It feels like it's coming out."

"What?!" Robin and Regina said in unison. They locked gazed through the rear view mirror, Robin's eyes pleading with Regina to do something.

Regina swallowed thickly before grabbing her purse and rummaging through it until she found her hand sanitizer. She didn't know what to do but figured it was a good start.

"Come on, Regina. Put that science degree to good use." Robin pressed.

"It's political science. Definitely not the same thing."

"You've had two kids. You should be a pro at this!"

Regina turned back to Zelena, taking in the woman's pained face and death grip on the door handle. She tried recalling what had happened when Roland had been born, but that had been nine years prior.

"I'm just going to lift you skirt and check what's going on. Is that alright?" As Regina spoke, she lathered her hands with the sanitizer.

Zelena nodded, turned sideways on the seat so that her back was resting against the door, one foot resting on the floor and the other propped up on the seat. Regina reached for the bottom on the long flowy skirt, inching it up. She hadn't intended on spending her Saturday in the backseat of her ex-husbands car looking between his new wife's legs, yet here she was.

Her grip on the skirt tightened as she gasped upon seeing that the baby was indeed crowning. She cleared her throat, looking up at Zelena.

"The baby isn't going to wait until we get to the hospital. You're going to have to push."

Zelena nodded, but Regina could tell that she was terrified.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Zee. But you can do this. You are so strong, love." Robin said from the front seat, his eyes repeatedly checking the rear view mirror to look at her.

"Ready?" Regina asked. Zelena nodded, wrapping the seat belt around her fist so that she would have something to squeeze. "On the next contraction, go for it." Regina instructed, eyes still focusing on the head.

Zelena gritted her teeth as she bore down, trying to hold in her yells and having whimpers come out instead. Regina's eyes widened as she reached down to help guide the baby out and into the world. Soon she found herself cradling the squirming, crying baby against herself, completely in awe of what had just happened.

"It's a girl," she said, looking at Zelena before meeting Robin's gaze in the mirror again. "You got your daughter."

[SQ]

Two strikes. He only needed to throw one more strike and they would win the championship. He stretched his arms, shaking them out before grabbing the ball and launching it forward. Everything seemed to slow as the ball traveled from the pitcher's mound to home plate. The boy watched as the batter took a breath and swung with all his might, the bat passing just under the ball. The sound of the ball hitting the back-catcher's glove could be heard before the crowd erupted into cheers and Henry's teammates rushed towards him.

The teen was quickly hoisted up onto the shoulders of the boys he had grown up with as they all tried to tell him that he did a good job. Even Roland had run out to share his excitement while Emma had hung back to shake hands with the opposing team's coach.

It felt good to lead the boys to victory and to show the town that she was a competent coach. She remembered the whispered words that had passed behind her back when she had first taken the position. Most of the town had doubted her and wasn't too keen on a woman being the baseball coach.

The boys filed back into the dugout, eager to collect their gear before heading to the pizza parlor for their traditional celebration. Henry paused at the doorway while Roland collected his big brother's gear.

"Where did Mom go?" he asked, having noticed that Regina hadn't been in the stands for a while. He had also noticed that his dad and Zelena weren't their either, but he had already figured that they weren't going to stay for the whole game.

"She had to leave with your dad and Zelena around the seventh inning. She asked me to bring you and Roland meet them once the game finished."

Henry's face fell. "You mean she didn't even stay to watch us win?"

"Trust me. It was something that couldn't wait. Zelena-"

"Of course she had something to do with it!" Henry fumed as he cut Emma off. "She's always ruining something."

Emma raised a brow at Henry. "How about we just go meet them?"

The teen shrugged as she grabbed his gear from Roland, heading to Emma's bug. Roland followed excitedly, climbing into the backseat quickly. Henry sulked in the front seat the whole ride to the hospital, but instantly perked up when he saw where they were.

He turned to blink at Emma confused, but when he saw his mother walking towards them with blood covering her shirt, he quickly jumped out the car and rushed over to her.

"Mom, are you okay? What happened? Whose blood is that? Is it your blood? Are you hurt? What's going on?" As the questions continued to pour from his mouth, he circled around Regina, checking her for injuries.

Regina laughed softly, pulling her arm from Henry's grasp. "I'm fine. It's not my blood."

"Then what happened?!"

Regina shared a look with Emma before a small laugh escaped her. "I delivered your baby sister in the car on the way over here."

Henry was speechless and Roland just furrowed his brow. "But Daddy said it was going to be a boy. And that we were going to teach him how to play baseball."

Regina could see the disappointment in her son's eyes. "Just because she is a girl doesn't mean she can't play baseball. Look at Emma."

Roland's face instantly lit up. "Yeah, and she's good, too!"

"Wait." Henry said, his mouth finally having caught up with his brain. "So like, you delivered the baby? Caught it and everything?"

Regina glanced down at her ruined shirt. "Yes, Henry, I would say so."

"That's so cool!"

Regina chuckled, shaking her head at her son. "They are in room 209 if you want to take you brother and go see them."

Henry nodded and called for Roland to follow him before the two disappeared behind the sliding doors. Regina turned to Emma with both eyebrows lifted and her lips slightly pursed off to the side.

"Not exactly how I thought the day would so, but still fairly rewarding."

Emma moved closer to her, not caring about the dirty shirt as she pulled Regina in for a hug. "How many people can say that they delivered a baby in a car?"

"I know. It sounds so bizarre when you say it out loud." Regina looked down at the shirt once more. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra one in your car, would you?"

Emma shook her head, but reached for the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head, revealing the tank top underneath. "This should do."

Regina graciously took the shirt and pulled it on over her ruined on. "I'll get it back to you tomorrow."

Emma shook her head once more. "There's no rush. But you could bring it by when you come over for dinner. We won."

"And I missed it. Damn, Robin. Always causing trouble for me." She smiled as she spoke, letting Emma know that she wasn't completely serious.

"I'll let it slide. Given the circumstances and all. Let's head inside before they wonder where you are."

When the two women entered the room, Regina felt her heart melt at the sight. Henry was sitting next to Roland, showing him how to properly hold his new sister. Roland's tongue was just barely poking out from between his lips as he concentrated on his older brother's instructions. Both boys looked up at the same time and smiled.

"Mommy, look. Henry taught me how to hold Robyn so I don't drop her."

Regina turned to raise an eyebrow at her ex-husband.

"It's Robyn with a 'y'. Zelena's idea since we were going to name him after me. Except she isn't a he."

Regina turned to Zelena. "I think it's a beautiful name." She watched as the younger woman's eyes instantly lit up at the compliment.

It felt odd, though, to be standing in the room with both her new girlfriend and her ex-husband, watching as their boys fell in love with their new sister. She was happy for them, yet she couldn't stop her mind from playing back to the child that they lost and how it really should've been her there with Robin by her side. But that would also have meant that Emma would not be in the picture, and that thought hurt her too.

Emma noticed the confliction of emotions crossing Regina's face and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. When saddened mocha colored eyes met her own green ones, the blonde spoke up.

"I'm going to take Regina home so she can shower and change. We'll be back later to pick up the boys."

As Regina was lead from the room, she felt relief wash over her. "Thank you," she said softly. "I think I just needed to get out of there. Too many 'what ifs' going through my mind."

"I could see it in your eyes. They're very expressive, you know."

They walked to the bug in silence, the deafening lack of noise only being broken once they were safely inside the vehicle. Regina turned in her seat to look at Emma.

"So, about that dinner tomorrow night?"


	14. Finally A Third Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW so please be mature and responsible and don't do it there. As always, it's unbetaed so all mistakes are on me

_Are you sure that I look alright?” Emma asked from her spot standing in her roommate’s doorway.  She twirled a time or two, letting him get a good look at her, though she wasn’t sure why since he was the one who had picked out the outfit for her._

_“Emma Marie Swan, you need to calm down.”  August rose from his reclined position on the bed.  “You don’t want to overdress.  It’ll make it seem like you are trying too hard.  Play it casual.  It’s only dinner and dancing.”_

_Emma nodded.  August was being logical, though her 18 year old brain was having trouble grasping said logic.  “I just don’t want it to be a shitty date, you know?  I’m nervous.”_

_“Well it’s a good thing that she is the one driving then, huh?” August teased._

_“She wouldn’t have to drive if my Bug was running,” Emma mumbled._

_“Upgrade to a decent vehicle and you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”_

_“I will. Eventually.”  A knock sounded through the small apartment and Emma’s eyes widened.  “Are you sure I look good enough?  I really like her, August.”_

_The tall man moved over to his friend, wrapping her in a tight hug.  “You look fine.  Go enjoy your date.  I won’t be home when you get back,” he finished with a wink.  Emma rolled her eyes and pushed him away before leaving to go on her date._

* * *

 

The savory aroma rose from the pot, being carried up on the wisps of steam that tickled Emma’s nose when she inhaled deeply.  She placed the lid back on the pot and turned the stove off, moving to check the vegetables that were roasting in the oven.  Popping a piece of broccoli in her mouth, she hummed as she chewed and pulled the pan from the oven.

She looked around the kitchen to make sure that everything was perfect.  The grilled steak was resting on the cutting board, the roasted veggies were perfectly cooked, and the rice in chicken broth was finishing up.  It wasn’t often that she got to show off her culinary talents, so there was a little voice in the back of her head that told her that she had gone slightly overboard.  But Regina is worth it, she concluded.  And as simple as that, her internal argument with herself was over.

The sudden knocking at the door had Emma breaking out in a wide grin.  She popped into the bathroom to check her appearance one last time before heading to the front door, tightening her ponytail as she went.  Pulling open the front door, she froze.

On the other side stood Regina.  Emma’s eyes started on the red heels that adorned the brunette’s feet, moving up to take notice of the pencil skirt, higher still to the white button up shirt, and finally on the face that bore lips painted the deepest of reds and eyes staring at her through smoky make-up.

“Wow,” Emma whispered, completely in awe of the beauty that stood before her.

“I hope I’m not overdressed.  I had to stop by the office and well…appearances,” Regina explaining, her hand moving up and down as she gestured at herself.

Swallowing thickly, Emma nodded.  Opening the door wider, she stepped aside for Regina to enter.  As she passed, Emma’s eyes fell to the deliciously encased backside and bit her lip to stifle a groan.  Regina Mills would be the death of her.

“It smells amazing in here.”

Emma  shook herself out of her thoughts as she followed Regina into the kitchen.  “Everything just finished cooking.  Grilled steak, roasted veggies, and chicken rice.”

Regina’s eyes widened as her face fell.  “Oh Emma.  I forgot to tell you that I’m a vegetarian.”

Emma’s smile faded.  “What?”

She tried to keep a serious face for as long as she could, but she soon found herself laughing at Emma’s reaction.  “I’m only joking.  I’m sure everything tastes amazing.”

Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina who just continued to smile innocently at her. “You are a real work of art, you know that?”

Regina lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.  “I always thought that art was meant to be appreciated.”  As she moved to walk past Emma, she let her finger trail down the exposed bicep before her.  “Don’t you agree, Em-ma?”

“I believe it’s time to eat,” Emma said suddenly, her face burning as she turned away from her date.  She was a grown woman and here she was feeling like a hormonal teenage boy.

The feeling of domesticity that filled her as she and Regina moved around the kitchen felt weird to Emma.  But only because it had been years since she had last felt that level of comfort around someone.  Yet now that she was feeling it again, it was something that she decided she never wanted to be without ever again.

Conversation flowed easily between the women as they began to eat, even though Regina’s moan at the first bite nearly made Emma drop her fork.  Once the brunette had realized what had happened, she quietly apologized with a blush.  Emma simple reached across the table to hold her free hand and they ate in sweet contentment.

After dinner they moved into the living room, wineglasses filled with apple juice, much to Regina’s delight.  She sipped the fruity beverage as she settled down on the couch while Emma squatted before the television to put a movie on.

“Dinner was absolutely fantastic,” Regina began.  “I think you’ll have to make it again soon.”

Emma smiled back over her shoulder as she closed the DVD player and moved back to the couch.  “Maybe I should make it at your place so the boys can try it, too.”  She lifted the glass to finish its contents before setting it on the coffee table.

Regina did the same, laughing softly as the reached out to thumb a stray drop of juice from the corner of Emma’s mouth, bringing it to her lips to lick it away.  She watched Emma’s eyes follow her movements, how the blonde didn’t blink and how her eyes grew darker when her tongue darted out to taste the sweet liquid.  And Regina would be lying is she tried to deny the shiver that ran down her spine at seeing that look of want in Emma’s eyes.  It had been so long since she had last seen that look directed at her.  Emma wanted her.  That realization alone made her core clench.

“You know, I don’t really feel like talking about the boys right now.”  As she spoke, Regina steadily scooted closer to Emma, their eyes remaining locked on the other.

“Yeah, same here,” Emma breathed.  She mirrored Regina’s movements, meeting the brunette in the middle of the couch.  She could feel her heart beat harder and her pulse quicken, especially when Regina turned sideways so that she was facing Emma completely and her knee brushed against the blonde.  “What do you want to talk about instead?”

Red lips parted, transitioning from smirk to smile before the melodious sound of Regina’s chuckle reached Emma’s ears.  “I don’t feel like talking at all.  I think our mouths would be better suited for other activities.  What do you think?”

Emma nodded slowly, leaning over to meet Regina for a kiss.  She always started off the kisses slow, giving Regina plenty of time to pull away should she ever feel uncomfortable.  When full lips began to work back against her own pale ones, she would instantly deepen the kiss.  The need to taste more, feel more of Regina was slowly consuming her.  And apparently the dark haired woman was feeling the same thing as she fisted a hand into blonde locks and easily transitioned to hot open-mouthed kisses.

Emma reluctantly broke the kiss as the need for air became too great.  She placed her forehead against Regina’s, smiling softly when Regina’s pants matched her own.

“But what that mouth do?”

Regina furrowed her eyebrow, opening her eyes to pin Emma with a confused look.  “What?”

The blonde chuckled slightly.  “It’s nothing.  Just something the kids are saying these days.”

Regina only hummed a response, pulling away from Emma to pull her heels off.  She set them next to the coffee table before rising and heading down the hallway.

“What are you doing?” Emma asked, watching her.

Regina smirked back over her shoulder.  “If I have to tell you them I must be doing something wrong.”

“Where are you going?” she asked with a laugh.

“Your bedroom.”

“Why?”  Emma’s curiosity was peeked now.

Regina kept walking.  “So you can show me what that mouth do.”

Emma felt her insides clench at Regina’s words.  If she had been a guy she probably would’ve come in her pants at that statement.  “I thought you wanted to wait.”

“I changed my mind.”

Emma was off the couch in an instant, feet carrying her quickly down the hall and to the bedroom.  The scene that greeted her made her heart simultaneously pound harder and stop beating.

Regina stood before the bed, fingers leaving her skirt that was now pooling at her feet and moving up to begin on the buttons of her blouse.  She looked up with a raised eyebrow.

“Am I going to have to do this all myself or do you plan on stepping in at some point?”

Emma was on her in an instant, lips coming together in a heated kiss as tanned hands moved desperately to rid the blonde of her clothes.  She shivered as those same hands pushed her jeans down her thighs before settling on her hips and moving up under her shirt.

“I’ve been thinking about this since you said you would consider something with me,” Emma admitted on a breathy whisper when they parted long enough for Regina to pull the shirt over the blonde’s head, leaving her in just her boy shorts and bra.

Regina chuckled as she let the shirt fall to the floor.  “I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while myself,” she admitted, watching Emma’s hands begin to unbutton her blouse.  Once the last button was done, she went to shrug the material from her shoulders but Emma stopped her.

“Leave it on.  It’s kinda hot.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but smiled as Emma grabbed the shirt and pulled her in for a slow kiss, savoring the feeling.  One pale arm moved to circle around her waist while a single finger made its way under the waistband of her lacy underwear.  With a small nod of consent, Emma pushed the fabric down to pool at Regina’s feet.

The older woman took a step back, letting herself fall back onto the bed before scooting back to rest against the pillows.  She lifted a hand a beckoned Emma closer with a crook of her index finger.  The blonde smirked as she crawled onto the bed and up to Regina, her body settling between legs that parted to accommodate her.

She stared at Regina for a long second, taking in the flush of her skin, the heaving od her chest, the darkness of lust in her eyes.  It was her eyes that Emma stared at the longest, searching for even the slight hint of hesitation.

“You haven’t changed your mind back, have you?” she asked as she pushed brown locks back behind an ear.  Her heart gave a strong beat of approval when Regina shook her head.

“I want this, Emma.  I want you.”  Her voice was soft, but the sincerity in it and the sparkle in her eyes let Emma know that she meant it.

She started with a nip to red lips, surprised that the color had yet to smudge, before her lips trailed down to move along a collarbone.  Her teeth grazed the skin there gently as she moved further down to nip the swell of a breast where it peaked out from the cup of her bra.  A hand tangle in her hair, fingernails lightly scratching against her scalp as she was pushed further down.

“Someone is impatient,” Emma teased, eyes lifting to look up at Regina as she continued to kiss lower until the hand in her hair tightened, keeping her right where she was wanted.

“You can take your time with me next time,” Regina told her, her body practically vibrating with anticipation.  It had been so long since someone had touched her with such purpose.

Emma rested her hands on tanned thighs, her thumbs brushing the insides in an attempt to relax Regina.  “So there’s going to be a next time?” she asked with a smirk and a raised brow.

“Not if you don’t – Ah fuck!”

Regina’s legs slammed shut around Emma’s head.  The blonde pushed tanned thighs apart and pinned them against the bed easily as she chuckled softly, her tongue running between slick folds, curling upwards to flick her clit before dancing around it and swiping back down.  In that instant she knew that she was addicted to this woman.  She repeated the motion a few more times before Regina’s hand tugged at her hair.

“Please, Emma, for the love of all that is sacred.  Either stay on it or not because I’m about to combust right here.”  Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, trying to wet that which she had dried with her hard pants and soft moans.

Regina’s body was right on the edge, hovering just out of reach of the orgasm that she was so desperately craving.  Her body was on overdrive, magnifying and intensifying ever the smallest and most miniscule things that Emma was doing to her body.  She was embarrassingly close, bottom lip being bitten between her teeth to muffle her sounds and to give her something to focus on to last a bit longer.

Emma gave her thighs a gently squeeze, relaxing more with the knowledge that Regina was alright when she felt nails scratch against her scalp once more.  She knew the woman above her was close, could feel it in the trembling of the thighs under her hands and by the pitch of the sounds that were leaving her mouth.

Deciding to put the woman out of her misery and into a state of bliss, Emma gave one last flick of her tongue to Regina’s clit before taking the sensitive bud between her teeth and sucking harshly as she pressed two fingers into her tight heat.  Her fingers were instantly gripped tighter as the fingers in her hair tightened to the point where she thought Regina would pull out her blonde locks in tuffs.  Hips bucked up against her mouth as the woman above her let out a strangle cry, arching up and – oh God, was that her back cracking?

Regina slammed her eyes closed as the sensations washed over her in waves, bucking her hips up and fucking Emma’s face as the last bit of her orgasm washed over her.  White spots danced behind her eyelids as she pants, breathing hard to fill her lungs with the air that seemed to escape her.  As she fell back to the bed, she loosened her hold of the blonde tresses, limbs falling to the bed in exhausted heaps.

Emma placed a soft kiss to the inside of a thigh before crawling up Regina’s body, adjusting herself so that her knees rested on either side of the woman below her.  She reached out to hang onto the headboard as she leaned down to rub her nose against Regina’s.  Mocha eyes fluttered open slowly and a lazy smile was given.

“If I had known that’s how it was going to bed I can assure you that I wouldn’t have held out this long.” Regina rubbed a hand down the side of her face, letting it rest against her cheek as she laughed softly.

Emma grinned.  “I’m glad to be of service, Madame Mayor.  I do believe that you have just upgraded from vanilla to chocolate.”

Both women laughed as Regina reached out to cup Emma’s neck and pull her closer for a kiss, lips parting easily and tongues mingling.  What started out a playful soon turned into need.  Emma let go of the headboard, one hand remaining there to keep herself propped up, to cover Regina’s hand with her own.  Slowly, she guided it down her chest and across her abdomen, only releasing it when their fingers bumped against the waistband of her underwear.  Her hand returned to the headboard as Regina took the hint, her hand disappearing under the material.  The kiss was broken with a small gasp.

“Emma, you’re so wet.”  Regina’s voice was a mix of shock and awe as she looked into dark green eyes.

The blonde chuckled.  “Yeah, I am.  Because of this insanely beautiful woman right here.”  She lowered herself to kiss Regina again, her hips moving as she did.  She moaned softly as the fingers passed over her clit.

Regina took the sound as encouragement, her fingers sliding through the wetness before pressing into tight warmth.  Emma’s hips bucked forward as she gasped, fully sheathing the fingers.

They started with a slow rhythm, Emma’s hips rocking lazily as she pants against Regina’s neck.  The brunette bit her lip as she focused, Ruby’s words coming back to her.

“Curl to hit the spot,” she breathed in a whisper more to herself than to Emma, her fingers carrying out the action as she spoke.

Emma’s hips jerks as she pulled back to look at Regina.  “What are you mumbling about?”

The older woman froze, eyes going wide at the knowledge that she had been caught talking herself through it.  She opened her mouth and fumbled around with a few words before sighing in defeat.

“Ruby gave me a talk a few nights ago and she said, quote, ‘curl to his the g-spot and tongue the clit.’” She could feel the heat of embarrassment climbing her neck.  “I just want to do this right so it’s good for you.  And Ruby obviously knows what she is talking about and –“

She was cut off when Emma placed a single finger over her lips and gave her a smile.

“You are overthinking this.  Don’t think at all.  Just feel.”

“But I want it to be good for you,” Regina said softly, her lips moving against the finger.

“It is good for me,” Emma laughed. “All that wetness, how tight I’m gripping your fingers…. That’s all because of you.”

“Really?”  Brown eyes widened more.

“Really really.  I understand that this is all new to you and that you are nervous about doing the right thing.  But I promise that you are doing a good job because I’m about five minutes away from an orgasm.”

Regina lifted a brow in question as she curled her fingers that were still nestled inside of Emma.  “Five minutes?”

The sensations washed over Emma as she gripped the headboard a little bit tighter and started rocking her hips again.  “Maybe four if you’re really determined.”

A smirk settled on Regina’s face.  Determined she was as she began to pump into Emma more forceful than before, curling up on very thrust.  Emma’s hips quickly transitioned from smooth rocking motions to erratic jerks as she inched closer and closer towards her climax.

It was right there, just out of reach.  And as if reading her mind, Regina used her thumb to press against her clit and that was all it took for Emma to come with a shout, hips frantically chasing her orgasm until it at last subsided and she rested her forehead against Regina’s.

She opened her eyes when she heard a giggle and was greeted by a grinning brunette,

“See,” Emma panted, still trying to catch her breath. “I told you it was going to be good for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first go at writing smut in a very long time. Hope it wasn't too cringe-worthy. Remember, if there is anything you'd like to see happen in this story feel free to leave it a message.


	15. Dropping a Bomb

Her first time with Daniel had been filled with hesitant touches and nervous laughs.  They had been in the bed of his pickup truck, parked out in the middle of a field and stargazing when the kisses had turned more heated and hands began to wander.  She had blushed and looked away when she had softly admitted that she had never done anything before.  Daniel had taken her hands in his and kissed her knuckles before saying that he was just as clueless as she was.  It was trial and error the first few times until they had learned the other’s body.

Her first time with Robin has been an alcohol induced haze.  It had started out as a simple night out just after Henry had turned a year old.  Kathryn and Ruby had joined them down at The Rabbit Hole for drinks.  What had begun as a glass of wine soon became shot after shot of hard liquor.  Innocent dancing lead into gropes and grinding.  Ruby has nudged them, joking telling them to get a room.

And that’s how the couple found themselves in the restroom, Regina pushed up against the wall, her hands fisting in Robin’s hair as his clumsy fingers pressed into her.  She tore her lips from his in a hiss, reaching between them to grab his hand and bring it up to her mouth, lips wrapping around the digits and tongue dancing over them and licking away the faint taste of herself before bringing the hand back between them and pressing his fingers back into her with a soft moan.  Robin had muttered a low curse, telling her how hot she was before reaching for himself and taking the place of his fingers.

It had been sloppy and fast and rough.  The textured feel of the wall scraped against her back with every thrust that Robin delivered.  It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before his movements had become jerky and his body tensed with his climax.  Regina’s head fell back against the wall with a small sigh of disappointment.  When Robin had asked if she had finished and if it was good, she had forces a smile and had assured him it had been great.  A little white lie never hurt anymore.

Her first time with Emma, however, had been nothing short of amazing.  The only hesitant touch had been her own, but Emma had helped her past that fairly quickly, helping guide her motions with pleasure filled sounds and words of encouragement.  There was no nervousness, no clumsiness.  Just pure want and passion.

She glanced up from her spot, Emma’s moans echoing throughout the room as the blonde hit her third orgasm of the night, a smile creeping across Regina’s face as she mentally patted herself for putting her own doubts behind her.  Moving away only when Emma gently pushed against her forehead, she placed one last kiss on the inside of her thigh before moving up the bed to rest against Emma’s side.

“Are you sure you’ve never been with a woman before?” Emma asked once her breathing had calmed. “Because damn baby, that was great.”

Regina bit her bottom lip as she smiled, turning her head to press a kiss to Emma’s chest.  “I’m sure, Emma.”  She snuggled up against the blonde, tracing random shapes along her abdomen.  “I was just doing what I thought you would like.”

“Well you keep doing it because I absolutely loved it.”  Emma paused for a second, contemplating her next words.  The feeling had been gnawing at her for a while.  She wrapped her arm around the woman next to her, kissing the top of her head. “Gina?”

“Hmm?”

“I…. I love you.”

Regina tensed against Emma, her fingers freezing in their motions, and Emma mentally kicked herself.  A part of her shouted that it was too soon to say the L word while the other pay tried to play it off as her having only said it out of post coital bliss.  But in her heart she knew the truth; she really did love Regina.

“You don’t have to say it back,” she quickly added when Regina hadn’t responded.  “I just wanted you to know how I felt about you.”

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest when Regina moved to sit up in bed.  Fear gripped her until the brunette turned to face her and she saw adoration and unshed tears in mocha colored eyes.

“Emma, I –” She cut off as she glanced at the clock on the bedside table, eyes widening in shock.  “I have to get home to the boys.”

As Regina jumped out of bed and moved about the room collecting her clothing, Emma looked over at the clock.  It was just passing midnight.  As they really been so caught up that they had lost track of how many hours had passed?

Emma got out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and an old college shirt.  When she saw Regina struggling to button her shirt she walked over and gently pushed fumbling hands out of the way, finishing the task for her.

“Take a breath and calm down or you’ll never make it home,” Emma teased lightly.  She cupped Regina’s face in her hands, getting the woman to stop and focus on her for a second.  “I meant what I said,” she continued in a softer voice.  “About how I feel and about you not having to say it back until you’re ready.”

Regina swallowed, nodding as she gave Emma s mall smile.  She was grateful that she wasn’t being pressured into saying it back.  It wasn’t that she didn’t have strong feelings for the woman; it was just that she wanted to be cautious.  Once those words were said, things would change.  Not wanting Emma to doubt her feelings, however, she stood on her tip toes and kissed her, trying to pour all of her emotions into the kiss and let Emma know how she felt.

[SQ]

After sitting in her car for what felt like a ridiculous amount of time, Regina finally moved to the front door.  The foyer light had been left on, presumably by Henry before him and Roland retired for the night.  She felt bad and a twinge of guilt pinged in her chest at the thought that she had stayed out so late.  But her mind wandered to the reason why she was out late and she pressed her legs closer together, a soft moan leaving her lips at the memory.

“It’s about time you come home,” came a familiar voice to Regina’s left.

The startled brunette jumped, car keys falling from her hand to land on the end table, the sound loud in the otherwise quiet house.  She pressed a hand to her chest as she turned to face the voice with a glare.

“What are you doing here at almost one in the morning, Kathryn?” Regina quietly hissed, glaring at her friend.

Kathryn gave her an innocent grin, a matching one painted on Ruby’s face as she moved out of the shadows of the living room.  Regina couldn’t help the small huff that left her lips.

“Oh my, Regina.  That’s such a lovely hickey you have there.”  Ruby gestured to her own neck, indicating for Regina to look.

She turned around in a flash, examining her neck in the mirror hanging on the wall.  A low curse left her as her fingers brushed over the sensitive bruised flesh.

“Looks like you had a successful date.  We want to hear all about it,” Kathryn said as she leaned against the wall.

Regina rolled her eyes, looking at the two women through the mirror.  “I don’t want to talk about my date with you.”

“I’m sure we can figure it out.  I mean, the hickey on your neck, your lack of lipstick, and the tousled hair kind of give it away.” Ruby’s smiled turned into a shit eating grin.  “Regina Alexandra Mills, you had sex.  Did you follow my instructions?”

The blush washed across Regina’s face before she could avert her eyes, choosing to look away as she nodded slightly.  There was no use in trying to deny it.  “You were right,” she admitted softly.  “It worked all three times.”

“Three?!  Goodness gracious, Regina.  Your first time with a woman and you made her come three times?”  Kathryn’s eyes were wide with shock as she spun Regina around to face her and Ruby.  “We need details. Now.”

They settled in the living room as Regina recounted her evening, from dinner to Emma dropping the L word on her.  Kathryn and Ruby leaned forward on the couch, eager for Regina to go into details about that.  It was then that she paused, biting her bottom lip.

“I didn’t say it back,” she confessed.  “Something in me just wouldn’t let it happen.  Once you say those words, things change.”

Ruby reached over and laced her fingers with Kathryn’s, knowing exactly what Regina was talking about.  “Yeah, things change.  But would that be a bad thing?”

Regina tilted her head from side to side.  “I think it’s just fear of the unknown.”

“That’s understandable.”  Kathryn gave Ruby’s hand a squeeze as she glanced sideways at her.  “But you obviously feel the same way about her, right?”

“Would I be doing this if I didn’t?” Regina deadpanned.

“Maybe you are trying to get back your slutty college years?” Ruby suggested, to which she received matching slaps on both of her rms.

“Ruby, I love you. But please stop talking.” Kathryn gave her a pair of serious eyes and Ruby nodded.  “All I’m saying, Regina, is that if she feels that way, and you feel that way, then you just need to say it back.”

“I agree with Aunt Kat.”

All three women turned to see Henry standing in the doorway giving them an innocent smile.

“Henry, you should be asleep,” Regina scolded half-heartedly as she scooted over to make room for her son to sit.

“I was sleeping.  Then a noise woke me p and I came to investigate.”  He sat next to his mom but turned to face her.  “But like I said Mom, I agree with Aunt Kat.  You should tell Emma.  She had enough balls to tell you how she felt so you should have some to tell her how you feel.”

“Pretty sure neither one of them have balls.”

“Ruby!” came the chorus of voices directed at the brunette.  She had the decency to look guilty.

“I’m going to take this one home.  Apparently she gets a loose tongue the later she stays out.”  Kathryn pulled Ruby to her feet and they bid their goodbyes.

Once the couple had exited the house, Regina turned to Henry.  She studied her son for a minute, a small smile forming on her lips.

“You are getting so mature,” she said, reaching out to run her fingers though his hair.  “I remember the day you were born.”

Henry playfully rolled his eyes before he scooted closer to his mom.  “About how I came three weeks early and they kicked Aunt Ruby out of the room because she wouldn’t stop playing with everything?”

“She put a glove on her head and tried to be a chicken,” Regina said with a raised brow.  “I’m surprised they didn’t kick her out before then.  But that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”  Henry moved to lay his head in his mother’s lap, her fingers lazily brushed through his hair.

“We were having a girls’ night,” she began.  “Kathryn and Ruby were over and I was stressing over how I was going to make ends meet once you arrived.  They pointed out that I wouldn’t be alone in raising you.  When they were leaving is when I fell into labor and they brought me to the hospital.”

Regina paused, closing her eyes and letting the memory play behind her lids.

“Everything happened so fast and yet seemed to drag on forever.  Next thing I knew you were crying and I was exhausted.  I didn’t even hear the doctor say that you were a boy until they handed you over, all red and wrinkly.”

“I was covered in blood?” Henry asked with wide eyes.

Regina couldn’t help but laugh. “No.  They had already cleaned you up a little bit.  You were very squirmy until I held you close and ran my finger over what little hair you had.”  She playfully gripped his hair and gave it a light tug before smoothing it back.

“Then I remembered your dad saying that if you were a boy we should name you after my dad.  So I looked down at you and whispered ‘Henry Daniel’ and that’s when I fell in love with your little pint sized self.”

She looked down at Henry and gave him a warm smile, one that he returned with a grin of his own.  He sat up and wrapped his arms around his mom, holding her close.

“To think I grew from a squirmy wrinkle into this dashing young man.”

Regina laughed. “Glad to see you still have your dad’s ego and confidence.  You remind me of him more and more each day.”

They pulled back to look at each other.

“I’m serious Mom.  Tell Emma how you feel.”

“I will. Don’t worry.” She placed a hand on either side of his face and leaned forward to kiss his forehead.  “Now go back to bed.  It’s late.”

Henry rolled his eyes with a small sigh.  “Alright.  But you need to go to sleep, too.”

Together mother and son walked upstairs and retreated to their respective bedrooms.  It had been a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to offer the utmost of apologies that it's been forever and a day since I last updated. Life and everything. You all know how that goes. (Plus a minor stint of writer's block.) There is drama to come, but before I get there I need a bit of a filler. Suggestions?


	16. Breakfast Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a lifetime and a half. But here is 3,000 words of story to make it up to you! Gonna go ahead and say NSFW too.

As the summer months progressed so did things between Emma and Regina.  Their relationship was still moving at a slow pace compared to that of which was considered ‘normal’ by other people.  But the speed at which they were moving did not bother either woman.  Emma was perfectly content with letting Regina control the speed at which they moved, knowing firsthand how it felt to be in the woman’s shoes.

There had been more nights like the first that they had spent together, though they were never planned and rarely happened on a consistent schedule.  Usually it would be Emma staying late after the boys had gone to bed and leaving early in the morning before they had awakened.  It wasn’t too difficult to sneak out before the boys woke up, given that summer was in full swing and they boys were taking advantage of being able to sleep in late, often not waking until well after Regina had arrived at City Hall to begin her day’s work.

Oftentimes Emma would pop in at City Hall to enjoy a small lunch with Regina before she would head off to the summer baseball workouts at the school with her team.  She was always trying to do little things for Regina just to show that she cared. She even went as far as asking Henry for his set of house keys to she could surprise Regina with a nice homemade breakfast.  Henry had eagerly pulled the key from his bag and told Emma hos Regina loved fruits and veggies and how she took her coffee.

And that’s how Emma found herself sitting on her couch with a small notepad on her lap; the page filled with hurried scrawls of different breakfast ideas.  She had just scribbled down ‘fruit salad’ and began to nibble on the top of the pen when there was a knock on her door.  Her brow crinkled in confusion as she set the notepad aside and moved towards the door.

“Who is it?” she called out loudly, hand pausing on its way to unlock the door.

“Your favorite month of the year,” was called back.  That voice.  She knew that voice.  Along with that horrible joke.

Her hands fumbled with the lock in her excitement.  Finally she was able to throw the door open, sparing a fraction of a second to look at the man standing in the hallway, before she was jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist at the same time her arms were wrapping around his neck.

“August!” she squealed, grinning widely as she felt his arms wrap around her and his chuckle sound in her ear.

“If I didn’t know any better I would think that you were happy to see me.”

Emma pulled back, her hands moving to cup August’s cheeks to hold his head steady as she studied his face.  Blue eyes shined back at her, his constant state of stubble scratched against her palms, and that dazzling smile greeted her.  He hadn’t changed one bit.

“How did you find me?”

“I was passing through and got my hands on a newspaper.  It’s pretty big news when the first female coach of an all-boys baseball team leads the team to their first championship.”

Emma couldn’t help but grin.  It was a pretty damn good accomplishment. “But how did you find out I lived here?”

“I asked the pretty brunette down at the diner on Main Street. She was really sweet.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.  She’s married.”

“People get divorced.”

“To a woman.”

“Well you got me there.”

He set Emma back on her feet and she pulled him into the apartment, quickly moving to get him a drink.

“So what have you been up to?” she asked as she set a glass of soda in front of him.

“Traveling and writing.  Just going where the wind takes me,” He shrugged as he gulped down half of his beverage.  “And what about you?  Besides the baseball thing.”

“I uh…” She trailed off as her mind instantly wondered to Regina, a slow smile crossing her face.  “I met someone.”

August’s eyebrows rose at that.  “Yeah? Can I meet her?”

Emma’s smile widened into a full blown grin.  “You sure can.”

[SQ]

She slid the key into the lock and turned it slowly, the soft click making her bite her lip with a smile. After gesturing for August to stay quiet, she opened the door and the two of them crept into the house. To her surprise, Henry was already awake and prepping things in the kitchen.  She raised an eyebrow at him as he looked up from dicing onions and bell peppers.

“Kid, what are you doing awake?” she whispered.

Henry shrugged.  “I couldn’t sleep.  So I decided to help prep for breakfast.”  He looked past Emma with a confused look.  “You brought a friend?”

“Oh.”  Emma gestured for August to move closer.  “This is August, my friend from college who helped me out more times than I can count.”

August lifted his chin, giving Henry a half nod. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“So your mom will be waking up soon,” Emma said as she glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall.  “We should get started.”

Henry continued to dice what they needed for the omelets, August cut up some fresh fruit for a quick fruit salad, and Emma was busy beating the eggs and starting the coffee.  Everything was moving smoothly. Then there was a soft thudding sound of feet coming down the stairs and Roland came around the corner rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Miss Emma, what are you doing here?” he asked sleepily.

“I came surprise your mom with a nice breakfast because she works really hard and deserves nice things.  Don’t you agree?” she asked as she easily lifted him to sit on the counter.

Roland nodded, his eyes still half closed as he tried waking up more.  “She deserves a lot of nice things.”

“I think so, too.  But I need your help.  How does this taste?”  Emma lifted a spoon of fruit salad to Roland’s lips, watching as he eagerly took the bite and hummed his approval.  “Good?”

“Very good.  Mom is going to like it.”

The sound of the shower turning on upstairs had Emma’s head swinging to look over at the clock again.  Right on time.

“I think I can handle it for a few minutes.  After all, I am the one who taught you how to cook.”  August said as he pushed Emma away from the counter gently.  “Did she ever tell you guys about the time she set the toaster on fire?”

Emma rolled her eyes with a sigh and a smile as she made her way up the stairs, careful to keep her steps light.  She crept into Regina’s bedroom and towards the ensuite where she could hear Regina moving around in the shower.

An idea popped into her head and she stripped quietly before entering the shower behind an unsuspecting Regina.  She took a moment to let her eyes drag over her girlfriend, taking in her relaxed face as the water ran over her tipped back head, her hands moving over her neck and shoulders, washing away the soap suds from her body, and watching those suds run down toned legs before swirling down the drain.  Damn, she was a lucky woman.

She took a step forward and let her hands rest on Regina’s hips from behind as she started to trail kisses from the side of Regina’s neck down to her shoulder.  The older woman hummed approvingly as she relaxed against Emma.

“I was wondering how long it would take before you finally touched me.”

Emma’s lips froze against tan skin.  “You knew I was here?”

“You aren’t as quiet as you think you are.  Besides, I’ve raised boys.  I’ve learned to listen a little bit better than I should.”  She reached for Emma’s hands on her hips, pulling them fully around her so that Emma’s front was completely pressed against her back.  “Miss Swan, you aren’t wearing any clothes.  Were you expecting something to happen?” she teased.

Emma gently nipped at Regina’s neck, soothing the spot with her tongue when she heard the soft gasp.  “I was expecting to get wet and didn’t want to ruin my clothes,” she said simply.  “Why?  Is there something you want?”

Regina bit her bottom lip as she nodded slowly.  “You’ve awoken something in me.  I haven’t been like this in a long time.”  With her hand still on Emma’s, she guided it towards the apex of her thighs, pausing her hand at her hip but letting Emma’s continue southward.

“Hmm.  I think I like you being like this,” Emma whispered against her ear.  She let her middle finger slip between Regina’s folds, passing right over her clit and further down to tease at her entrance.  When legs began to tremble, Emma held her tighter.  “I like knowing that you are needy for me.  Tell me, are you needy for me?”

She pressed a single finger into Regina, smirking when the brunette moaned softly and nodded.  “So needy,” she breathed.

“So needy, huh?” She leisurely pumped into Regina, purposely keeping her rhythm slow and steady.  She’s pull her finger out to circle around the small bundle of nerves that was craving her touch most before pressing back into welcoming warmth.  “Is there anything specific you want me to do or…”  She let the question trail off as she stilled her movements, waiting to hear what Regina wanted.  There was a low mumble before she gave the woman a small squeeze.  “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said I want you to fuck me,” Regina repeated louder.  In an instant she had pulled away from Emma and spun her around, pressing the blonde against the wall of the shower and kissing her hard.

Emma grunted as her back hit the wall, yet she never broke the kiss.  Her hands went back to Regina’s hips, pulling the brunette close enough to slip her thigh between tan legs.  She groaned as she felt slick heat against her skin.

“You’re so wet,” she breathed, pulling back just enough to look at Regina as she said it.

“Because we’re in the shower and water is falling on us.”

The smirk that adorned Regina’s face was quick to settle across her lips.  Emma rolled her eyes at the sassiness before her eyes rolled back as Regina slowly sank two fingers into her.

“Seems like I’m not the only one who is wet.”

“Fuck, Gina.” Emma blinked slowly, letting her focus on the image before her.

Regina’s eyes were closed, bottom lip caught between her teeth.  Her free hand was pressing against the shower wall as she steadily rolled her hips against Emma’s thigh, the movement helping her thrust her fingers into the blonde.  The sight alone was enough to make Emma’s core clench but the added actions made her shiver.  She caught Regina’s lips in a sloppy kiss, her hips starting to buck in time with the thrusts.

“Emma, I’m not going to last long,” Regina confessed, resting her forehead against the blonde’s, their eyes locking as their movements became more frantic.

“It is okay, me neither.  Just let go.”

Regina nodded, her eyes closing as she focused on chasing that wave of pleasure that seemed just out of reach.  A ghost of a touch against her hand let her know that Emma decided to help herself along.  Her thoughts were only confirmed when she heard the whispered curses leave the blonde’s mouth and the fingers on her hip dig in more.

“Together?” Emma panted.

“Together.”

Their lips crashed together as their climaxes peaked, each of them swallowing the other’s cries and moans.  What was once determined grinding and thrusting was now a tapered off movement slowly drawing out their pleasure.

They broke the kiss and Emma gave Regina a last smile. “Well hello to you too.”

Regina rolled her eyes but leaned her forehead against Emma’s with a smile.  “Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, but what brings you here so early?”

“I have a surprise for you downstairs.”

[SQ]

The two women made their way downstairs after untangling themselves from the shower.  Regina could hear Henry and Roland talking in the kitchen and could feel her heart expand with love for her boys.  Then an unfamiliar man’s voice joined the conversation and she felt her heart stop.

“Was the surprise leaving my sons with a stranger?” she asked, looking back at Emma just before they walked into the kitchen.  Emma just smiled as she moved around Regina towards the man.

“Regina, this is August.”  Regina’s face morphed from concerned confusion to understanding instantly.  “And your surprise is that I made breakfast for you.”

“And we helped!” Henry chimed in with a grin.

Regina could feel the prickle of emotion behind her eyes at the thoughtfulness from Emma and her boys.  She gave Emma and Henry a grateful look, which each returned with dopey grins.  When she turned to give Roland the same grateful look, she noticed his confused face.

“Roland, what’s wrong sweetie?”

The young boy furrowed his brow as he blinked.  “Why is Miss Emma’s hair wet?”

Regina turned wide eyes towards Emma who stood there frozen while August tried not to laugh and Henry wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Oh. Um…. Uhh…”  Emma tried before August saved the day.

“So who is ready to eat all of this delicious food we made?  I bet I can eat more fruit salad than Roland.”

“I bet you can’t!” the young boy said as he grabbed the silverware to bring into the dining room, ready to prove the older man wrong.

 _Thank you_ Emma mouthed to her friend at the same time Henry mouthed _Gross_ to his mom.  Regina gave him a guilty smile before she grabbed the plate with the omelets.

“Time for breakfast.”

[SQ]

Breakfast turned out to be a laugh filled experience.  August shared stories about when he had first met Emma, his tales soon spinning images of the young teen as she began college and all of the ridiculous things she had done in his presence before she was picked up by the big league and left college to play professional ball.  He told Henry and Roland about watching Emma play on television and how he had always rooted for her team to win.  He talked about her injury and downplayed the aftermath, leaving it only as Emma went back to college once she was told she couldn’t play softball anymore, to which she have him a thankful smile.

Once breakfast was over, August suggested taking the boys into town so they could show him around.  Regina was a bit hesitant at first until she remembered that August was basically Emma’s Ruby.  She gave her consent and the brood was out of the house not even ten minutes later, leaving the two women alone to enjoy themselves.  Regina was content to stay inside and relax on her day off, but Emma insisted that the day was too beautiful to waste.  And so Regina had relented once more, this time with a playful eye roll.

Emma had been right, it was a beautiful day.  The sky was clear and there was a light breeze just cool enough to refresh the citizens of Storybrooke when they felt the sun warm their skin just a bit too much.  It was the perfect day to stroll around town and enjoy life.  And that’s just what Emma and Regina were doing.

The two had already made their way through the park and around the pond, surprised that it was as empty as it was.  Regina laughed as Emma chased a duck down to the water’s edge and was almost in hysterics as the duck chased Emma back up again.  That was when Emma suggested they share a banana split from Any Given Sundae.

They walked down Main Street hand in hand, enjoy the other’s company.  Everything just felt right.  Emma smiled to herself as she lifted their joined hands to her lips to place a kiss on the back of Regina’s hand.  The brunette blushed, preparing to lean up and plant a kiss on Emma’s cheek when a small group of people rounded the corner and began walking towards the,  She gasped softly, her face falling as she immediately tugged her hand away from Emma’s lips and out of her grasp.  The blonde blinked in confusion before the hurt and anger began bubbling inside.  She gave the group a forced polite smile as they passed before turning to Regina.

“Emma, I’m – “

“I get it,” Emma instantly cut Regina off.  She knew it was rude but she couldn’t find it in herself to care at that particular moment.  “Look, I know that this is all new to you, but we’ve been tiptoeing this dance for almost a year now.  You want to be with me when it’s just us, or around Henry and Roland, but the minute someone else has the chance to see us together you pull away and make it look like we are just two people who happen to be walking together instead of a couple.”

Emma knew her words were bordering on hurtful, could see it in the way that Regina bit her lip and how the brunette would glance away and repeatedly blink her eyes, but she couldn’t stop.  “I know you’re a bit scared of what people think and say, but screw them.  You don’t need to care about what they think.  They don’t matter.”  She took a breath, already feeling the pain in her chest at her next words.  “I don’t think you fully know what you want, Regina.  And I don’t think you are ready for this,” she gestures between the two of them, “until you figure it out.”

And with strength that she didn’t even know she possessed, Emma turned around and walked away; leaving Regina standing on the sidewalk as the tears slowly began to fall.


	17. Emma's Night Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a hot minute. So I whipped up a little something something for you all. Don't worry. There is more to follow relatively soon.

It didn't take long for Kathryn and Ruby to find out that had happened between the blossoming couple.  But they kept their noses out of it in the beginning, choosing to let the argument run its course and hoping that the two women would be able to work through it.  That didn't seem to be the case, however.

Ruby noticed it first.  During her shifts at the diner, things would be fine.  She and Emma would share stories and make general small talk, always laughing at one thing of another.  And then the bell above the door would chime and Emma's smile wold fade away as she noticed who was walking in.  She's quickly throw a few dollars down on the counter, enough to cover her expenses before quietly slipping out the back door.  Ruby would shake her head with a sigh before schooling her features to greet her long time friend.

Regina wasn't any better.  When Kathryn would surprise her with coffee or lunch and an attempt to bring up the topic of Emma, the mayor would claim that she suddenly remembered that she had a meeting to attend and would shoo her friend from the office.

Kathryn wasn't a fool and neither was Ruby.  But they both knew it would be better if they let the other person come to them first.  IT was weeks before one of the women broke.

Emma found herself in the grocery store, rows of multicolored liquor bottles stretched out before her.  Her eyes scanned the labels until they fell upon the familiar green bottle and she reached for it.  With heavy bottle in hand, the memories of her past resurfaced in her mind.  Hazy blurred images of empty bottles and a pinning room had her hand gripping the bottle tighter.

"That's a good brand.  Goes down real smooth.  You should get it, sister."

Startled by the sudden voice, Emma blinked and turned towards the person it had come from. She recognized him from the games.

"Oh.  Thanks Leroy.  Yeah, I know it's a good brand.  I used to drink it a lot before I got sober."  She swallowed thickly as her fingers tightened around the bottle before she returned it to the shelf.  She turned back to look at Leroy and noticed his changed expression.

"Oh wow. Jeez.  Yeah.  You don't want that then.  Tastes terrible.  You know what you need?  Some good H2O."

Emma's lips twitched at the corners at Leroy's words.  She was used to people being uncomfortable around her when she mentioned her sobriety, often stumbling over their words.  However, Leroy's reaction made her want to smile.

"Thanks Leroy.  I was thinking the same thing."

In actuality, she wasn't.  Her thoughts had strayed to Regina once more, as they often did these days and everyday since she had left the brunette standing on the sidewalk those weeks ago.  The hurt that painted Regina's face matched the hurt in her own heart.  When Regina had snatched her hand away from Emma as the group of people had turned the corner, the blonde's mind had instantly gone back to Lily walking out on her.  Betrayal had instantly washed over her and her actions had been rash.  Once she had settled, she was too embarrassed to seek Regina out and apologize.  And so the two had been avoiding each other ever since.

Emma knew that she was being stupid and stubborn, but her pride was too great.  And if Regina had really wanted to be with her, she would have talked to Emma by now, right?

With mind still clouded with thoughts of Regina, Emma made her way through the check out, sans alcohol, and stepped out into the night air.  She knew that she needed a distraction, something to take her mind off of the brunette, even if just for just a few hours.  With liquor being out of the question, but knowing her resolve was high, Emma went for the next best thing.

[SQ]

Bass thudded heavily inside The Rabbit Hole, Emma's pulse quickly matching the rhythm.  The bar was filled nearly to the brim on the Saturday night, people stuffed into booths and shaking it out on the dance floor.  The young blonde, however, found herself seated at the bar and ordering a soda.

She was beginning to regret her decision when a woman sat beside her, gaining her attention.  She blinked hard at the woman, her face furrowing in confusion.

"Belle?!"

The woman laughed easily, shaking her head in the negative.  "I get that a lot.  I'm her sister, Lacey.  I'm visiting from out of town."  Her accent matched her sister's and Emma found it hard to believe that they weren't the same person.  But as Lacey lifted her hand to get the bartender's attention, Emma saw a tattoo peaking out and she knew that she wasn't being lied to.

"What's you poison?" Lacey asked, looking back at Emma once the bartender started towards her.

"Oh, um..." Emma hadn't been expecting that.  She swirled her drink around by the straw.  "I don't drink."

"Can I get you a fresh soda, then?"

Emma looked up to see an easy smile on Lacey's face, not the confusion or the want to pry that she was used to with others.

"Y-yeah.  That would be okay."

Lacey leaned over the bar to yell her order over the loud music.  The bartender nodded and soon had a fresh drink for Emma and a beer for Lacey.

"Do you mind if I have one?" she questioned Emma.  "It was a long drive up here and I just need to relax."

"Oh yeah.  That's cool.  It doesn't bother me if other people drink."  And really, it didn't.  Emma knew that her self control was strong.  And even though she really wanted to feel the bubbles of a beer washing over her tongue, she wouldn't give in.

She also found it easy to talk with this Lacey.  She was almost the complete opposite of her sister, the only thing the two having on common being their love of literature.  The two women shared plenty of laughs and even danced to a few songs together, the time in between being filled with shots; tequila for Lacey and water for Emma.

As the evening wore on, Lacey loosened up and began to touch on Emma more, letting her hand linger when she would reach out to playfully push the blonde.  Emma picked up on the vibes that Lacey was sending her and even returned a few of her own.  They were out on the dance floor when Lacey leaned close, her mouth near Emma's ear.

"What do you say about getting out of here?"

Her breath tickled Emma's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.  This was exactly the kind of distraction that she has been looking for, and so she nodded, taking Lacey's hand in her own and leading her from the bar.

As they entered Emma's apartment, their lips were already crashing together and hands were sliding under shirts to feel naked skin.  This was what Emma had been looking for.  Something harsh and crass to take her mind away for a moment.  Lacey tasted like beer and tequila, the mix now a foreign memory to Emma.  She groaned as Lacey pushed her up against the door and drug her hand down Emma's abs.  The pain easily mixed with pleasure and Emma found herself wanting more.

Her hands traveled down to grope and kneed the firm ass, easily lifting Lacey and moving towards the bedroom.  The brunette laughed as she was dropped onto the mattress, the alcohol flowing through her veins making her feel loose and relaxed.  She scooted back towards the pillows, smirking as she crooked her finger and beckoned Emma towards her.

The blonde knelt on the bed, crawling towards Lacey and straddling her lap as she bent to kiss her once more.  Her hands tangled in smooth locks, but they weren't as thick or silky as Regina's.  Emma squeezed her eyes tight, willing the thoughts of the mayor to go away.  She started grinding her hips down against the brunette, hoping it would help.

Except this brunette wasn't her brunette.  She wasn't the brunette that Emma wanted.  Her hair wasn't as dark or as soft.  Her curves weren't just right.  It just wasn't the same.

The hand suddenly making it's way past her waistband startled Emma back to the present.  She pulled back, breaking the kiss as she gripped Lacey's wrist, halting her movements.

"Wait," she panted, still out of breath from their make out. "Just let me go freshen up real quick."

Lacey nodded, pulling her hand out from the waistband and leaning back against the pillows.  "I'll be waiting."

Emma climbed off of her and quickly went to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.  Bracing her hands against the sink and leaning on them heavily, she stared at herself in the mirror.

What the hell was she doing?  This wasn't the kind of person she was anymore.  She was done with the partying and the drinking and the one night stands.  She was finished with immature foolishness.  Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text t Ruby before smacking her tongue and making a face at the taste in her mouth.  Once she had brushed her teeth, she returned back to the bedroom.

"Hey, Lacey, I don't think..."  Emma trailed off as the sight of a passed out Lacey greeted her.

The brunette had her head thrown back against the pillows, mouth open, tank top askew, and a naked breast peeking out through the arm hole.   _Party tit._   Emma couldn't help but chuckle softly as she pulled the blanket up to cover Lacey.  She grabbed her own pillow from the bed and retreated to the living room for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. I wonder what Regina is doing right now.


	18. Regina's Night Out PArt I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that. A second update. Now I know this is short, and I probably should've attached it to the previous chapter. But I wanted them split for dramatic effect.

The bass pumping through the speakers was entirely too loud for Regina's tastes.  It had been her thing once, long ago when she had been younger and loved to go out and party. But that was a version of herself that was long gone into her past.

She wasn't sure why she had agreed when Ruby and Kathryn had approached her and suggested the girls' night out in the city.  Come to think of it, she wasn't sure that she had agreed to it at all.  One minute she had been shaking her head as Ruby presented the idea and the next she was packing a bag in her room as Kathryn gave her a brief rundown of what their plans were.  One car ride and a brief stop by the hotel later and Regina found herself nursing an appletini as she sat at the bar.  With a dejected sigh, she tossed back he last of her drink.

The song changed and from the corner of her eye she saw Ruby drag Kathryn out on the floor to dance.  Shaking her head with a roll of her eyes and a small smile, her attention was quickly grabbed by a man walking up next to her and leaning forward onto the bar to get the bartender's attention.  She allowed her eyes to roam his profile for a second.

He appeared to be around her height, a little on the shorter side for a man.  His hair was dark and cut short, the slightly stubbled beard matching, and he wore a simple v-neck tshirt with jeans that fit him just right.  Regina was appreciating the slight bulge of his arms when she was brought back to reality.

"And another drink for the lady, please."

Regina jumped slightly in her seat, startled for a moment.  "Oh, I couldn't trouble you with that.  Ma'am," she tried calling out to the bartender with a raised hand. "Please put mine on my tab."

The man reached out and gently lowered her hand.  "Please, I insist.  Just one drink."

Biting her lip briefly in thought, Regina finally relented before giving him a small smile.  "Well, I supposed one drink wouldn't hurt.  Thank you, Mister..."

"Scarlet.  William Scarlet.  But please call me Will."  Their drinks were set before them and he took a swig of his beer as Regina took one of her appletini.  "May I ask yours?"

"Regina."

"That's a lovely name for a lovely lady."

Regina felt her cheeks heat with a blush at the man's words.  She wanted to object to his statement, to say something that would hinder his likely future advance on her, but she was a single woman, right?  It had been literal weeks since Emma had left her standing on the sidewalk and had never contacted her to apologize.  And so instead of shaking her head and denying his words, she played into them.

"Thank you.  You are quite a good looking man yourself."  It wasn't a lie.  He was indeed attractive.  And that smile.  Oh, it warmed her in places she didn't want to think about.

"Some of us luck out every now and then," he teased, giving her a wink as he lifted the beer to his lips and finally took a seat on the stool next to Regina.

Conversation flowed easily between the two of them, shameless flirting coming from both ends.  One drink turned into two, which turned into enough for Regina to remember that she was a giggly drunk in the right company.

"You know, I'm glad I agreed to this night out.  I'm actually enjoying myself," she said, sipping on her fresh drink. They were turned sideways on their stools, their knees brushing against the other's as they spoke.

"I'm glad I could help with that."  Will reached out to brush a lock of hair from Regina's face, tucking it back behind her ear.

"You're going to think this is silly."

"Probably not.  But go ahead and humor me."

Regina bit her bottom lip, looking up at Will through her lashes.  The alcohol had loosened her tongue and lowered her inhibitions.

"My friends brought me out tonight hoping that I'd find someone to take back to the hotel with me."

Will snorted as he took a sip of his beer once more.  Covering his mouth with his wrist as he cleared his throat, he did laugh at Regina's words.  "That's not silly at all.  Plenty of people do that."

Regina covered her face with a groan when Will continued to chuckle.  "I'm sorry.  I don't know what I'm doing.  I've never done this before."

She felt her hands being pulled away from her face and was shocked to see Will leaning closer to her.  He gave her a boyishly lopsided smile.

"Are you trying to say that you'd like it if I went back to your room with you?"  At Regina's shy nod, he chuckled more.  "I'd like that, too."

"Really?"

"Really."

It took only a minute to close their tabs before Regina was leading Will out the bar by the hand.  Kathryn saw them leaving and nudged Ruby, pointing at the retreating couple with a grin.

"Looks like out plan worked," she said as Ruby's phone pinged with a text alert.  They both stared down at the screen and read the message.

**Emma: Hey Rubes.  I made a mistake.  I miss Regina.  How do I fix this mess?**

Both women muttered a curse and looked up to see Regina already gone from the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What shenanigans will Regina get into with Will back at the hotel? Tell me what you think.


End file.
